The Best Thing
by KellyAnnie
Summary: Follow House and Cameron and Cuddy and Wilson through parenthood, and watch as their children grow up. Sequel to Play the Game.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** They weren't mine during _Play the Game_, and they still aren't. But I own the kids, bitches.

**Author's Note:** Here is the much-requested sequel to _Play the Game_. Thanks to Tasha, my oh-so-cool beta, for keeping me sane throughout this process. Hope you guys like it!

"I'm not trying to-"

"Fucking _Christ_, Allison, it _hurts_!"

"You need to stop leaning on your left leg…"

"I'm not going to stop leaning! It's fucking _twitching_!"

"Greg! Calm down! You promised you'd do this!"

"_Fuck_!"

"It was _in your vows_!"

"Goddammit, Allison, it was really-"

"It's _two more steps_, Greg."

"Fuck the steps. Give me my cane."

"No."

"Allison…"

"Two more steps."

"Fuck two more steps."

"Fuck you. Take two more steps."

He glared at her and took two painstaking steps. It took him five minutes, but he did it before collapsing on the floor and shooting her a menacing look. "Bitch."

"Yeah." She kneeled down next to him, which was difficult with her seven-month-pregnant belly, and placed an ice pack on his thigh. "But you took twenty steps today instead of eighteen."

Sweat poured down Gregory House's forehead as he studied his wife, who was now massaging his aching thigh. Yes, he'd promised in his wedding vows to go through physical therapy, but he didn't think that Allison would have the balls to stay with him throughout the whole thing. He'd been horribly, horribly wrong. Despite the fact that her stomach continued to swell with their child, she'd gone to every session with him and coached him at home three nights per week.

"How's it feeling?" Allison asked gently.

"Like it's on fire," he grumbled back, giving a small moan when she pressed a little too hard. She apologized and lightened up on her massaging. "I can't believe you."

She gave him a smile and kissed his sweaty forehead. "You ought to by now. You've forbidden me from seeing patients; I need to heal someone."

"You're seven months pregnant and working in an infectious disease ward. You _can't_ go anywhere near the patients." He looked around their apartment and frowned. "Shit, Allison… We only have two months to find a new place."

"Jimmy's looking," she responded with a grin. "I asked him to check out a few places for us this weekend."

"Doesn't he have a baby to take care of?" Greg asked with a frown.

Allison winked at him. "He's trying to stay away from Cuddy and the baby. Poor Brian's sick."

Greg cringed. "Ew. Sick baby. Lots of crying."

"Hence Jimmy scouting out some places for us."

"Houses?"

"No… Apartments." She finished massaging his thigh and applied the ice pack again. "Did you want a house?"

Greg shrugged uncomfortably. "A kid ought to have a yard," he mumbled.

Allison smiled at him and brushed a kiss over his lips, grabbing a washcloth and wiping the sweat from the rest of his face. "We'll look tomorrow."

"Let's make Jim sit with his kid, though," Greg suggested with a smirk. "He should have to. I'll have to when our kid gets sick."

Allison laughed. "We're married," she said, grunting with effort as she managed to get onto the couch. "It's different." She sounded out-of-breath just from lifting herself to the couch, and Greg grinned at her.

"You're huge," he pointed out.

"Thanks," she drawled.

"Like… Goodyear Blimp huge."

"Shut up."

"You could be a U-boat if you made the right noise," he offered, staying on the floor until the pain in his thigh lessened. "Can you make that noise?"

"Greg, I'm going to smack you. With your own cane." She rested her head on the back of the couch and let out a slow breath. "I didn't think I'd get this big," she admitted quietly.

"Allison, you're _pregnant_. You were bound to get fat."

"I've gained thirty pounds!" she exclaimed. "I'm starting to get a second chin! It's _disturbing_, okay?"

"Some women gain more weight with their first pregnancy. You know that." The pain in his thigh had finally subsided enough for him to sit by her side. "And hey… You'll work off all of the weight running around trying to catch the baby. So it's fine."

She groaned and rubbed her stomach. "I swear to God, it's just going to pop," she grumbled. "I'm so fat that my stomach is going to pop like an overfilled balloon."

Greg rolled his eyes and turned on the television. "You're not fat enough to pop yet."

"You're so damned nice to me."

He smirked and brushed a kiss over her lips. "Come on, Allison. You know you're the sexiest pregnant woman ever. Well… You're close to Cuddy. Her fun-bags were bigger, and sexiness is directly proportional to breast size."

"Yeah," Allison drawled, annoyed. "Because _that's_ going to boost my self-esteem." She scooted to the edge of the couch and tried to push off of it, which was a sight that Greg loved to see. It was hilarious.

"Don't hurt yourself, now," he teased.

"Shut up," she grunted, finally pushing herself off with enough force to stand. "I'm getting ice cream."

"That's not going to help with your waist size," he pointed out.

"The baby wants it," she snapped.

He snorted and went back to watching his show. The developments in his relationship with Allison were all good. Surprisingly. Oh, they had their spats; no doubt about that. They'd fought on their honeymoon, they'd fought when they'd gotten home, and they'd fought all through his physical therapy. They had gone days without speaking to each other; he would go to Wilson's and sleep there, annoyed every time the baby cried.

Cuddy had moved in with Wilson. They claimed it was for the baby, but Greg knew better. Every time he stayed there, Cuddy would bitch at him about how he needed to go home and work through his problems with his wife. Greg would snark at her and tell her to mother her own child… And return home to Allison by the end of the night. There was something about Allison that made him want to come home every night. And really, wasn't that what mattered?

The woman on his mind waddled her way back into the living room, a large bowl of ice cream and two spoons accompanying her. "I get a spoon?" Greg asked incredulously.

"No," Allison answered, sitting carefully. "They're both for me. I got two helpings; one for me, one for baby. I'm planning on using two spoons to make it more realistic."

He grinned and stole a spoon. "Thanks."

"No problem." She started on the strawberry ice cream herself, and Greg was careful not to steal too much. She'd get super bitchy if he took too much, and he knew this from experience. "What the hell are you watching?" she asked through a mouthful of ice cream.

He glanced at the screen and shrugged, taking another bite of ice cream and getting a glare. "What?" he asked irritably. "I haven't even taken that much."

"Why do you have the TV on if you don't even know what you're watching?"

"Because I like the bright, flashy colors. They amuse me. And if I watch them enough, I can have a seizure and sue."

Allison rolled her eyes and changed the channel.

"You put on a tearjerker and I push you down the steps."

She snorted and turned on a baseball game.

"Good girl." They watched the game in silence, eating the ice cream that Allison had gotten, and Greg grinned at her as she stared blankly at the screen. "You have no idea what's going on, do you?"

"Not a clue," she admitted, taking another bite of her ice cream. "But I _do_ have strawberry ice cream. So I don't really care."

He snorted and changed the channel to a program about women giving birth. With a grin, he put his arm around her shoulders and watched her eat her ice cream, waiting for her to realize what he'd settled on watching. He wasn't disappointed when her eyes widened slightly.

"Turn this off," she muttered. "I already know it's going to hurt… I don't need to watch women scream about it. Besides, I'm getting an epidural."

"Those can be dangerous."

"I'll take the risk," she said dryly, reaching for the remote that he'd purposely set just out of her reach. "I don't … want … to … watch this…" she grunted, trying desperately to get the remote control.

Greg laughed and watched her. "It's like a kid reaching for something that's too high. Don't dislocate your shoulder now…"

"Fuck off," she grunted, giving up on the controller and sitting back, panting with effort. "I hate you."

"You love me." He glanced at the screen. "Look! It's like a melon being passed through a lemon!"

Allison groaned and shut her eyes. "You're an ass. I don't want to watch women having babies when I'm going to have one soon. I saw enough of it in med school." She glanced at the clock and sighed. "I have Lamaze," she told him. "Call Jim and tell him to meet us there, will you?" She maneuvered herself off of the couch once more and went to the bedroom to get her class supplies.

Greg rolled his eyes and dialed his friend's number. "Hey, Jimmy. Allison and I are getting ready to go to Lamaze. Meet us there? Yeah… It's at seven. Will you be able to make it or are you too far out scouting places for us?" He nodded to Allison when she came out with her bag and stood. "We'll see you there." He hung up the phone and tossed it on the couch, wrapping his arm around his wife's ever-growing waist and brushing a kiss over her lips. "Ready?"

She smiled at him and nodded and they were on their way.

"I still don't like that you wanted Jim here for this," House muttered as he drove them to the class. "I don't want him here for it."

"Greg, I want him with us to keep you calm and under control. You mocked the instructor during the first classes. We almost got kicked out. I need Jim to make sure you don't get us kicked out."

"I did not almost get us kicked out," he grumbled.

Allison sighed in exasperation and tossed a piece of hair out of her eyes. "You called the instructor a hippie hack, first of all. And then you called her a brainless new-age bitch. _Then_ you threw your cane at her."

"She told me I was stressing you!" he exclaimed in defense. "I wasn't stressing you!"

"You were pissing me off!" she said with a laugh. "That counts as stressing me!"

"She accused me of not being supportive. I'm completely supportive."

"Yeah. It's just pouring out of your ears, Greg."

"Hey. I may not call you the most beautiful pregnant woman on the planet and I may mock the hell out of your fat ass, but I wake up at three in the morning when you want a Big Mac and I buy you ice cream and let you eat it for lunch," he snapped back. "I hold you when you start sobbing for no reason, _even_ if we're at work, and I gripe very little about your pregnant woman hormones. I think I've been pretty damned supportive, thanks."

Allison's eyes widened and she was silent for a while as she watched her husband glare at the road in front of him. When he stopped at a red light, she unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself at him. "I love you, Greg!" she sobbed, holding onto him.

He let out an 'oomph!' when she rammed her pregnant body into him and then patted her back. "Yeah, I know," he replied quietly, watching the light. "Now get back over there and put your damned seatbelt on before you suffocate me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Despite the fact that I shoved them together and made them get married and now they're going to have a BABY thanks to me, I still don't own them. Isn't that just sad?

It was in the middle of the night during Allison's thirty-second week of pregnancy that she woke with a horrible pain in her abdomen. She took deep breaths, thinking that it was simply Braxton Hicks and that it would go away. Hoping not to disturb her husband, she got out of bed and went into the bathroom to splash water on her face. Sometimes, walking around helped alleviate the pain.

But this time, it wasn't going away. She frowned and went into the living room, walking around it and rubbing her swollen stomach. The pains still weren't subsiding, and she was starting to get worried. It was too soon… It was too soon to have this baby. She went back into the bedroom and shook Greg's shoulder gently. "Greg," she said softly. "Greg, wake up."

He made an unintelligible sound and cracked an eye open.

"The baby…"

That got him up. He shot up, sitting straight, and stared at her. "What about it? You're not going into labor, are you? It's too early."

"I know. I thought it could be Braxton Hicks, but… They aren't stopping…"

Greg frowned and got out of bed, pulling on a pair of pants and grabbing a shirt out of the dresser. "Do you have your overnight bag packed?"

"Yeah. Just let me change into something more appropriate."

"Forget it," he said sternly, grabbing his cane. "They're just going to put you into a hospital gown anyway, and those clothes are comfortable. Let's get you to the hospital."

She grabbed her overnight bag and bit her bottom lip as she got into the car. "I'm scared," she admitted, her voice shaking.

He glanced over at her and took her hand, kissing the back of it. "Everything's going to be fine, Allison."

"But what if-?"

"_Everything is going to be fine_," he reiterated firmly, squeezing her hand to comfort her. "If it is premature labor, they can stop it until it's safe for both you and the baby. There's nothing to worry about. Hell, Allison. It's PPTH; our doctors are the best."

She smiled and wiped a tear away. "I love you, Greg," she whispered, still frightened.

"I love you, too."

They drove in silence, arriving at the emergency room in record time due to Greg's speeding. He helped her out of the car and held her hand all the way to the ER, staying silently by her side as the doctors checked her out. One of the doctors nodded to Greg and pulled him aside.

"She's thirty two weeks along," the doctor said positively. "She could go into labor tonight and you two would have a healthy baby. There may be serious complications with the lungs, however, if we let her go through tonight."

"Can't you stop it?"

"Yes, and that's what I need to talk to you about, Dr. House." The other doctor looked nervous, and Greg was starting to get irritated. "If we stop the labor, she's going to have to stay here in the hospital for one to three weeks. She _cannot_ work on any cases with you and your team. She's got to _rest_."

A muscle in Greg's jaw twitched. Did they all think that he ran Allison ragged? She did it to herself, damn it! And she wouldn't stop no matter what he told her. "Tell _her_ that," he grumbled, pointing to the curtained-off room with his cane. "_She's_ the one who works too hard. I don't do it to her. And I'm fine with that course of treatment. Tell her to sign the papers."

"We thought you ought to…" the doctor said, looking hot under the collar once more. "She … ah… She said she didn't want anyone's opinion on it but yours."

Greg looked shocked for a moment. Slowly, a smirk broke out on his face. The smirk then broke into a full laugh. He threw the curtain back and kissed Allison's forehead. "Sign the damned papers, you psycho woman."

Allison grinned sheepishly and signed the consent forms for treatment. "They're saying that I won't be allowed to work. That it could be too stressful."

"You have to listen to your doctors, Allison," Greg said with a smirk.

"Bastard."

He brushed a kiss over her lips. "They're going to admit you and put you a very pretty room with a very pretty view. I'm going to go home and get some clothes and toiletries. Get some sleep. I'll be back in a little bit."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Bring me pudding?"

He smirked. "Vanilla?"

"Please."

"You got it."

By that afternoon, Cuddy, Wilson, Foreman, and Chase had all visited Allison in her hospital room. Cuddy had brought an oversized teddy bear. Wilson brought a pair of scrubs that were fit for a baby. Chase brought chocolates and Foreman dropped off a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

When Greg got finally got time to visit Allison, he entered the room cautiously. "Did the kid fairy throw up in here?" he questioned, looking around.

Allison laughed as she finished her dinner, which consisted of ice cream and a brownie. Yeah, she was a healthy eater. "Lisa brought the bear, Jim brought the scrubs. Chase brought the chocolates … but they're gone. And Foreman brought me flowers."

"People spoil you around here." He looked at the now-empty box of chocolates and laughed. "I like the molasses ones," he complained.

"You weren't here. They were. And they were really, _really_ good."

"See's Candies usually are." He set the box in the trash and sat down on her bed, leaning in to kiss her. "Chocolaty," he commented.

"I just finished chocolate ice cream and a chocolate brownie."

"Was that your dinner?" he asked suspiciously.

"The nurse told me I could eat it!" Allison exclaimed immediately. "She said I was allowed as long as I had a healthy breakfast and lunch." She set her tray off to the side and pushed the table out of her way, giving Greg a smile. "You done working yet?"

"I will be soon," he promised with a smile, taking hold of her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," she admitted. "Whatever they have me on makes me sleepy."

"It's supposed to."

"I know that," she said with a laugh. "I just don't like it. Greg, we still haven't moved into the new house yet…"

He silenced her worries with a kiss. "Don't worry about it," he ordered. "I'll get the car thief and the kangaroo to help move it all. Jim'll get in on it too, I'm sure. Cuddy might even help if she can find a sitter for Brian."

Allison smiled and yawned soon after.

"Get some sleep. I'll come in when I'm done." Before he left, he looked around the room suspiciously. "Think sex is too stressful of an activity for you right now?"

She laughed and tossed her plastic spoon at him. "Get out," she scolded. "I need rest."

"Yeah, yeah…" He left with a grin on his face, going back to diagnostics to work. Once there, he cornered Foreman and Chase. "You two young, strapping lads are needed."

"Uh oh," Chase said, worried. "He called us young and strapping."

"That means manual labor," Foreman said with a nod.

"Indeed it does! You two are helping me move all of mine and Allison's crap to our new place."

"Okay… You _do_ realize that you can't tell us what to do _outside_ of work, right?" Chase asked slowly.

"I can't," Greg agreed. "But I can dock your paycheck if you don't do it and use mental incapability as an excuse."

Foreman snorted. "I'll help," he said with a shrug. "It's doing Cameron a favor. I owe her."

"You bought her fifty million flowers," Greg grumbled.

Foreman smirked. "Never bought your wife flowers, House?"

"They're completely pointless. I don't have to buy her pretty things that make her sneeze," he defended snappishly.

Chase grinned. "She like the chocolates?"

"She ate the entire box. Because she's a fat pregnant woman who craves chocolate at odd hours of the day." He turned to their dry erase board and frowned. "Chocolate…"

Chase and Foreman exchanged a curious glance and waited for Greg to finish his thought process.

"Check the patient for cocaine."

Once Chase and Foreman were gone, Greg went back to Allison's room and sat in the chair next to her bed, propping his feet up and changing the channel that she'd had the television on. She was asleep anyway, so it wasn't like she'd care. Wilson came into the room not long after Greg had started to drift off to sleep.

Greg glared at his friend and left the room so as not to wake Allison when he spoke with Wilson. "What's up?"

"Chase and Foreman were just found in the lab griping about helping you move. Lisa and I want to be in on it."

Greg smirked. "Thought you would. Everyone bends over backwards to make my wife happy, but when it comes to me…"

Wilson laughed. "Come on. It's Allison Cameron. She's too sweet to not want to help her out."

"Traitor."

Wilson shrugged good-naturedly and nodded to Allison's room. "How's she doing?"

"She seems okay," Greg said, shifting so that he was leaning his back against the wall/window to her room. "I don't know if she actually is, though. I thought she would be more worried than she's acting."

"So talk to her about it."

"And get thrown out of the room when she screams at me? No, thanks."

Wilson grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. "I never thought I'd see the day when Greg House feared a woman's wrath."

"A _pregnant_ woman's wrath," Greg said with a frown. "I can handle a pissed off Allison. No problem. A pregnant pissed off Allison is quite another thing and could be hazardous to one's health." When Wilson started chuckling, Greg smacked his shins with his cane. "She _throws things_, Jimmy."

"Go in there and talk to her."

"No! She's sleeping like she should be. I wake her up and she'll kill me. She'll stab me."

"With what?" Wilson laughed.

"She's an innovative woman. You should see what she comes up with to tie me up in bed."

Wilson cringed. "Thanks for that."

"Any time. She's a _very_ kinky girl. You can't even _imagine_ what I've done with my cane…"

"Ugh. House…"

"And there was that time in the closet when she used-"

"Stop. Please? Just stop. I need to go. I have to interview a potential Fellow."

Greg looked stunned. "You're hiring Fellows?"

Wilson shrugged. "Lisa thought it was time. I guess she's right. I mean, I could use the help and they need the experience. You know."

"Good luck… Can I help with the interview pro-?"

"No."


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** So I know this guy who knows a guy and HE said that I could get them with enough money and a lap dance. ...He was so wrong.

Two weeks later and Allison's doctors were ready to let her go through with labor. They stopped her medication and told her to wait it out. Greg was informed and took the day off. So far, everything seemed pretty calm. Greg had assumed that a woman giving birth was some momentous occasion, but as of right now, it was pretty boring.

They stopped the meds at nine that morning. By five that evening, Allison had taken Greg's hand and squeezed hard, taking in a breath and holding it. "It hurts…" she told him with a small laugh. "I'm having a contraction." Suddenly a look of immense fear crossed her face. "Greg… I'm about to have a baby."

Greg laughed. "Scared?"

"Shitless."

"They'll give you an epidural and you'll be fine," he assured her. "Want some ice chips?"

She snorted and gripped the bedclothes. "For Christ's sake, Greg, I don't need ice chips yet."

A nurse came in to check how dilated Allison was, telling her shortly thereafter that she had a while to go. Allison rested her head on the pillow behind her and breathed through the contractions that followed.

"I don't want to do this," she said suddenly. "I don't want to, Greg."

"What the hell do you mean you don't want to?" Greg snapped. "You wanted the thing."

"It's going to come out of my vagina. It's going to hurt. A lot. I'm going to be stretched for months afterward…"

Greg smirked. "You've proved to me multiple times that you're brilliant at Kegel exercises. I think you'll be fine."

"I'm scared," she whimpered.

"Stop being scared."

"It's that easy, huh?"

"Should be. Women have been doing this for centuries. I'm pretty sure you'll be okay," he drawled, poking the baby scrubs from Wilson that sat on the table. "What are you so scared of?"

"Let's see you pass a baby out of your penis and _then_ you can ask that question!" she exclaimed, teeth clenched in pain and anger.

Greg cringed. "Maybe I should just go…"

"You leave me and I'll kill you," she growled.

"Go get Wilson. Let me finish my sentences, woman," he teased, patting her knee affectionately. "You're so angry."

"I'm about to have a _baby_, damn it!"

"Yeah… I'm gonna go get Jimmy. He's already done this whole … thing." He darted out of the room before she could protest. He caught a passing nurse. "Can't you sedate her or something?" he grumbled.

The nurse rolled her eyes. "She'll get her epidural soon, Dr. House."

Greg frowned and watched the nurse walk away. Did everyone think he was joking about these things? He went to the nurse's station and took the phone, calling Wilson's office to tell him to come down. Wilson called Cuddy, who paged Chase and Foreman to let them know that their boss wouldn't be back any time soon. Soon, all four of them were in Allison's room trying to calm her. She looked anything but calm when Greg went back in.

She crooked her finger, telling him to come to her, which he did. He gasped when she grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to her. "Get … them … out of here," she said menacingly. "Chase and Foreman and Wilson. _Out_."

Greg's eyes widened and he turned his head to look at them. "All men must vacate the area," he said seriously. "Beastie here might chop your nether-regions to itty bitty pieces." He cringed once more when Allison smacked the back of his head.

Cuddy laughed and stroked Allison's forehead as she loosened the hold the younger woman had on Greg. She looked to the other men. "Get out of here," she told them. "We'll call you in later. She doesn't need the village to _have_ the baby."

Wilson grinned sheepishly as Chase and Foreman left, wishing Allison luck. "I'll just, uh… I'll go get coffee."

Greg frowned, looking pathetic, and fought back a whimper. He didn't want to be here while Allison actually went into labor. She was already on edge as it was… Who knew how she'd act once all of the action started? Suddenly, he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. A child… They were having a baby. Oh, Christ, he was going to be a father. He pulled at the collar of his shirt; it suddenly felt too tight.

Cuddy noticed his actions and smirked, brushing some hair off of Allison's forehead. "Look at him," she crooned gently. "He's finally realizing that this baby is real. Isn't it cute?"

Allison laughed slightly, thankful for the surprisingly calm attitude that Cuddy offered. "You okay, Greg?" she asked with a smile.

"This… Damn." He looked at the baby scrubs that Wilson had bought and felt his throat constrict. "Christ, Allison. I'm gonna be a father. In, like, a few hours."

She grinned and held her hand out for him to take, which he did slowly. "Scared?"

"Worried," he admitted. "When I suck at this, I call rights on saying that I told you so." He honestly wasn't ready for this. He wasn't. Couldn't they push it back in or something? Wait a few more years? That'd be great.

"You're going to be a great father," Allison scolded. "Your mom even thinks so."

"What does my mom know? She's never seen me with kids. I prod them with my cane to make them shut up."

Cuddy grinned. "I saw you holding Brian when Jim had to run out one day. Don't deny it; you like kids."

"Barbequed."

Allison let out a snort of laughter and then doubled over in pain. "Oh, Christ, I want this done with!" she exclaimed.

It wasn't too long before an obstetrician came in and checked Allison's dilation, giving the okay for the epidural. From there on out, it was a flurry of activity and Greg could do nothing but stand by Allison's side, holding her hand, and watching in silence.

Cuddy held one of Allison's legs and a nurse held the other, and Greg watched the process in awe. They made her push and breathe and push and breathe and "Just a few more, Allison!" and she tried. She clenched her jaw and groaned with the effort and she squeezed his hand and he squeezed back to let her know that he was there. He was there and he'd stay by her side and watch this thing happen even if it was messy and odd and wonderful all at once.

And then, before he knew it, they were handing him surgical scissors and the baby was crying and they were telling him to cut the umbilical cord. He did so, with shaking hands, and they cleaned the baby and handed it to Allison.

"It's a girl, Doctors," the obstetrician said with a smile, watching the couple as they looked at their little girl. She had a healthy set of lungs, even if she would have to spend a bit of time in the neo-natal intensive care unit. "We'll give you a few moments and then she'll need to go to NICU."

The two of them nodded and the team of doctors, including Cuddy, filed out of the room to give them a moment with their new daughter.

Greg looked down at the tiny baby wailing in Allison's arms. "She's so small."

"She's early," Allison said with a smile, rocking the little girl to get her to stop crying. Eventually, the crying stopped. "Just like her mommy."

Greg laughed and resisted the urge to reach out to the baby. He didn't want to hold her… She looked too fragile. He'd drop her or something and then Allison would never forgive him. "She's got lungs like her mommy," he commented.

She grinned and looked at Greg, holding the baby up to him. "Take her for a minute."

"Uh…"

"Greg, you're going to have to hold your daughter," she said with a grin.

He glared at his wife and took the baby slowly, as if he were afraid she'd break. The baby looked up at him curiously, closing her eyes slowly before looking at him again. "Hey," he said softly.

The tiny child sneezed at him and Allison smiled brightly. "Name her," she said softly.

"Isn't that supposed to be done together?" he inquired, not taking his eyes off of the little girl. His excuse was that she kept looking at him and he never backed down from a staring contest.

"I think you should do it," she insisted.

He smirked at the little girl and resisted the temptation to say something like 'Starship' just to piss off her mother. "Zoe," he said simply. "Zoe Cameron House."

Allison smiled. "Cameron, huh?" she asked. "My maiden name?"

"Your dad's kinda cool. And it _is_ a girl's name."

"I like it," she said softly, watching with tears brimming in her eyes as House cradled their child as if it was something he could do any day.

"Good, because I'm not changing it now."

The obstetrician came in and told them that it was time to take little Zoe down to NICU. The parents parted reluctantly and watched as their baby was wheeled away. They were quiet, Greg feeling horribly awkward and Allison feeling dead tired. It was hard work, pushing out a baby.

"That's our daughter," Greg murmured in awe. "That was our baby."

"Yeah," Allison answered with a wide smile. "Still scared?"

He nodded silently, looking over at those baby scrubs again. "Do you think she'll be a doctor?" he asked curiously.

"God, I hope not," she groaned, closing her eyes in exhaustion. "I want her to be a ballerina or a physicist or something."

He laughed and sat on her bed before she coaxed him to lie down next to her. "She's going to be a genius. And I'm going to kill Chase if he tries to make out with her on her tenth birthday."

Allison laughed loudly, drawing the attention of Wilson, Cuddy, Chase, and Foreman, who were all assembled in the hallway. The four of them sped inside, and Cuddy asked what was so funny.

Greg glared at Chase. "You keep your mitts off my daughter when her pre-teen years come around. Comprende?"

Chase frowned as Allison's laughter increased and she had to bury her face in her husband's chest to quiet herself.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own them. But if you steal my kids, I'll break your face, yo. And so on.

**Author's Notes:** Thank you to everyone for the wonderful reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

By the time Zoe was three months old, Greg realized why new parents were always so damned tired. The kid cried all night long and wouldn't stop until either of her parents was holding her. Allison finally gave in and took a couple of weeks off; she had the time, and Cuddy was insisting.

Greg went to work every day, looking more tired as time progressed. Chase couldn't resist poking fun at him, which resulted in Greg having three months off of clinic duty; Chase took it, and not at all like a man. He bitched the entire way, stunned when Cuddy even intervened, telling Chase that it was fair for him to take his boss' clinic hours.

Greg couldn't be more thankful. As he fell asleep over his lunch one day, Wilson came in and patted him on the back. "Kid keeping you awake?" he asked with a smirk.

"Fuck, Jim," he responded, rubbing his eyes in a feeble attempt to wake up. "She starts screaming for no reason in the middle of the night and she won't go back to sleep unless Allison or I hold her. Do you know how difficult it is to sleep while you're worrying about crushing this ten pound parasite that's sleeping on your chest?"

Wilson snorted. "I did it for a few months, so yeah. How's Allison holding up?"

"Just fine. She doesn't have to be in at nine every morning," he grumbled.

"But she has to breast feed. I think she wins."

He gave a grunt to show that he didn't care and tried to finish his lunch. "I want one night of full sleep. I'd kill for it."

"If Allison's okay with it, you can come and stay with me and Lisa for a night. Brian's finally gotten to the point where he sleeps through the night, so it'll be quiet."

Greg looked at Wilson with sad, hopeful eyes. "Are you serious?"

"Completely."

"I think I might love you."

"Don't tell Lisa."

"Don't tell Allison."

"Deal." Wilson sat in one of the chairs opposite Greg's desk and studied his friend with a grin. "So fatherhood isn't agreeing with you, I take it?"

He made a noncommittal noise and polished off his lunch. "I'll wait until Zoe's older and I can tolerate her."

"You love that little girl. I've seen you with her."

"She's cute when she isn't puking on me," he grumbled.

With a grin, Wilson leaned forward conspiratorially. "Learn the warning signs and hand her off to her mother right before she chucks."

Greg laughed. "Bet Cuddy loved you for that one."

"She fell for it every time. Moms have this … innate lack of a gag reflex."

Greg snorted. "They do. You should see Allison with Zoe. She changes a diaper without a second thought. I try to do it and find an excuse _not_ to. We're doctors. We should be able to handle this."

"No, _nurses_ should be able to handle this," Wilson replied. "We're _doctors_. We don't deal with feces and vomit most of the time. Techs and nurses do."

"And Fellows."

Wilson smirked. "And Fellows." He sighed and closed his eyes, dropping his head to rest on the back of the chair. "We're dads," he said slowly. "When the hell did we sign up for this?"

"You refused to simply be a donor and I thought with my dick instead of my brain," Greg muttered, signing a paper on his desk. He didn't even bother to read it; just signed. He ran his hands over his eyes and yawned again. "Can we quit?"

"No," Wilson said slowly, yawning himself. "But we can nap at work."

When House got home that evening, he was met with the picture of Allison on the couch, playing with Zoe by letting her pound on the keys of a play piano that he'd gotten her. He smiled and sat next to them, accepting the baby that was handed off to him and the kiss that greeted him.

"How was work?"

"Nice. I slept." He scratched and Zoe's belly to make her giggle. "We got a new case. I need you back. Chase's ideas are getting old and he's spoiling Foreman's."

Allison grinned. "Bring home the case?"

"It's in my bag." He turned Zoe to face him and glared at her. "I'm going to kiss you. And if you puke on me, your ass is grass." He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her nose, rewarded with another giggle before bouncing her with his good knee. "How's your vacation?"

"Wonderful. However, had I known I could get sleep at work, I wouldn't have taken the time off." She grabbed the case file and skimmed through it while Greg played with Zoe. "Check for endocarditis and encephalitis?"

"And vasculitis," Greg answered, holding Zoe up over his head and making jet noises. "No swelling, no temp, no infection. White count's normal." He set Zoe back down on his left knee and tried to keep her from feeling the stubble growing on his chin.

"Did she take any medications prior to being admitted?"

"Don't know. She won't talk. I'm sending Foreman to break into her place tomorrow." He cooed at Zoe and poked her nose, making her squeal with delight before blowing a spit bubble at him. "Don't steal any cars, okay Zo? I'm not paying your bail. You'll have to call Uncle Jim."

Allison snorted and continued to read the case. "These symptoms are constant with a reaction to either a medication that was filled incorrectly or an overdose."

"That's what I thought," he replied, brow furrowing in thought. "But then she started seizing and vomiting blood and things stopped looking so easy." He tossed Zoe in the air over his head and caught her. "I still think the meds are a part of it. But they aren't the big, bad wolf that we're looking for."

"Whatever the underlying condition is, it's been covered by whatever she took," Allison said, frowning as she read through the lab results. "Stop tossing her in the air, Greg. You'll drop her."

"I will not," he said, rolling his eyes and holding Zoe over his head, staring into the eyes that matched his so perfectly. "Your mommy's being anal again." He turned to look at his wife. "Why do you say the condition is being covered?"

"According to these lab results, it would have to be. She must've taken something to boost her immune system. No one's immune system functions this well. Is she on steroids, maybe?"

"She's a gymnast."

"I'd check for steroids."

"I'll have Chase do it tomorrow. Right now … I want to shower and eat dinner." He set Zoe on the floor and let her roll around, leaving his cane for her to play with.

Thanks to Allison's nagging, Greg had finally completed his physical therapy that he should have done years ago. He could now limp comfortably from one end of their house to the other without using his cane, but that was about it. He knew that it was better for him to be able to move at all without his cane, but he still felt that the months of physical therapy had been pretty much wasted.

He made his way to the shower, hearing Zoe squeal as she happily moved his cane along the floor. Who knew he'd actually … well … _enjoy_ being a father? After his shower, he went to the kitchen, where Allison was already setting the table. "You work fast."

Allison smiled. "You know it. I'll feed Zoe when we're done eating."

"I still don't know how you can stand a kid sucking on your nipple for that long." He helped her serve the spaghetti that she'd made before sitting with her.

"It's not that bad. It's natural."

He smirked, digging into dinner. "You and that natural crap. If I recall correctly, _you_ were the one screaming for an epidural."

She kicked his foot. "Shut up. I wanted to steal your Vicodin, I was in so much pain."

"Too bad. Drugs are mine." They ate in a comfortable silence, disturbed only by Zoe squealing from her playpen in the living room where she was watching some child television show that Greg hated. "Jim offered to let me stay with him and Lisa for a night."

"You're going to get sleep while I have to suffer?" Allison asked coolly. "That's sweet of you." She ate part of her dinner and took a drink of her wine. "You know, Zoe will be done crying every night in just a few weeks. You can suffer through it with me."

"Damn."

She patted his hand and went back to her dinner. "If you and Jim want to have a boys' night, that's fine. Send Lisa over here and you two can have a night all to your male selves. But you aren't getting off easy without me having some company."

"Fair enough. You and Cuddy going to have a baby-fest or something?"

Allison snorted. "No. We're probably going to let them play and talk amongst ourselves while we're tortured with reruns of _The Wiggles_."

"I hate that show," he muttered angrily.

"I know. But Zoe loves it. It's got bright colors and music."

Greg's pager went off and he grabbed it, glaring at it. "I need to go back," he growled.

"Let me come," Allison said simply. "I'll pack Zoe up and feed her on the way. I need to get out of the house, and I'll keep her away from the patient."

"You took a vacation," he pointed out.

"Come on," she whined. "I want in on this one."

He smirked. "Oh, fine. Pack up the kid."

They got to the hospital in no time, Allison just finishing up with feeding Zoe as they pulled into a parking space. "Put the boobs away, babe," Greg said with a smirk. "We've gotta work now."

She rolled her eyes at him and buttoned the top of her blouse. "Watch it or I'll bring them out during the differential."

He frowned. "I don't want Chase seeing your fun-bags. He's already seen them once… He doesn't need to see them again."

"You're so possessive," she sighed, carrying Zoe on her hip as they entered the hospital. "It's cute and frustrating at the same time." It was the first time since she'd had Zoe that she'd actually brought her to the hospital, and she wondered how Chase and Foreman would react. They certainly weren't used to having a baby around.

Once they got to diagnostics, Greg held the door for her. "I brought the immunologist," he said simply. "She thinks she can help. How silly."

Chase and Foreman both grinned when they saw their coworker with the baby. "She's gotten big," Foreman commented, looking at Zoe.

"Hey. Don't talk about my wife that way," Greg snarked.

Allison rolled her eyes and let Foreman hold Zoe. "So what's going on with the patient? He briefed me," she said, nodding to Greg.

"She started seizing and then went into cardiac arrest," Chase informed them. "But the arrest wasn't directly after the seizing. It was an hour later."

"That's weird," Allison commented, looking at the symptoms on the dry erase board. "And it proves my theory right."

"Which is?" Foreman asked, letting Zoe play with his tie, but preventing her from chewing on it.

"There's an underlying condition being covered by medications," Greg said, writing the new symptoms on the board. "Foreman, I want you to…" His voice trailed off as he saw the neurologist holding Zoe as if it were completely natural. He tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "Chase, go to the patient's house and bring back any and all medications she's on." Once Chase was gone, Greg turned to his neurologist. "Foreman… What's your evening schedule like?"

Foreman looked suspicious. "Why?" he asked warily.

"Zoe likes you. You should baby-sit her."

Foreman almost choked in shock. "You want me to watch your kid?"

"Feel honored."

Allison grinned. "If you want to watch her," she said with a shrug.

"I've never really watched a kid… When do you need a sitter?"

"We'll let you know," Greg said. "Do you want to watch her for us?"

Foreman shrugged and smiled when Zoe tried to pull at his nose. "Sure."


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own House or Cameron or Cuddy or Wilson or Foreman or Chase... But if I could lock them all in cages and have my wicked way with them, that would be AWESOME.

The next nine months flew by and before they knew it, Greg and Allison were planning their daughter's first birthday party. Allison had cleaned the house and Greg had set up for their families and friends. She was looking forward to it; he was dreading it. He didn't want to attempt to entertain a houseful of guests, most of whom he didn't even want to see. His parents were coming down to see their granddaughter and he'd been preparing for it for weeks.

Zoe's party was on Saturday. Monday, Greg had called his mother and asked her not to bring his father. He explained to her that he didn't want to explode in front of Zoe; Blythe had told him to man up, grow up, and learn to hold his tongue.

Tuesday, Greg convinced Allison to call, albeit grudgingly, and ask Blythe why she was bringing John. Allison mentioned that she already knew the answer, but Greg needed reassurance. Blythe answered, with a small chuckle, that John was Zoe's grandfather and ought to see the little girl on her first birthday.

By Thursday, Greg demoted himself to begging. He'd called and started out calmly. It escalated to yelling, then ended with him lying on the couch, covering his eyes with a hand, and begging his mother to leave his father at home. But it was all to no avail; John was coming and that was that.

So on Friday, when Greg woke up that morning, he groaned, rolled over, and put a pillow over his head. He didn't _want_ to get out of bed. Hell, he wanted to cancel the whole party. Zoe would understand. Hell, she was only a year old. Did she even know it was her birthday? He was disturbed from his inner grumblings when he looked over and saw that innocent little one-year-old crawling toward the bed. "What are you doing here?" he mumbled.

The child stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed the coverlet, demanding to be picked up as she held her arms out to her father. He sighed and leaned over the bed, picking her up and setting her next to him. "Where the hell is your mother?"

"Ceh," Zoe replied, bouncing.

"You're so articulate. Can't wait 'till you start in on differentials." He picked her up and set her on his good leg, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You ready to meet your grandparents, kid?"

"Ceh."

"Yeah? Me, too. But I get sex, so it's okay for me to feel that way."

"Ceh!"

"Exactly. I knew you were a smart one."

"Pano!"

"Like Drain-o?" He sighed, knowing Zoe wanted him to play the piano. "Later, kiddo. I need to get dressed first."

"Pano?"

"No-no." He slid out of bed and grabbed his cane before reaching over and picking up his daughter and going to find Allison. She was in the kitchen, baking a cake. "So 'ceh' means cake, huh?"

"Does it?" she asked, leaning over to brush a kiss over his lips. "She wake you?"

"No, the ever-present thought of my parents coming woke me."

She sighed and took Zoe from Greg. "It's not even seven hours, Greg. You'll be okay. Just keep your mouth shut."

"That is _so_ much more difficult than you and my mother seem to think." He stuck his finger in the batter and taste it. "Chocolate."

"There's a vanilla one, too. That one's already made."

"Did you make a small one so that I can shove her face in it?" he asked curiously, grabbing an orange juice out of the fridge.

"No, and you aren't doing that," Allison scolded. "That's mean."

"Come on," he insisted. "I had my face shoved into my cake on my first birthday. It's tradition."

"It's a dumb tradition."

"Pano!" Zoe exclaimed from her mothers arms, flailing her little arms around.

Greg sighed and took Zoe. "Pano time. Apparently, you get to shove your own face into your cake. Life's rough."

"Ceh."

"Yep." He sat down at the piano and put Zoe on the seat next to him. "What do you want? Mozart? Beethoven?" He paused and played a few scales to warm up. "Roger Daltry?" He knew she didn't really care what she heard, so long as her daddy was playing. Every time he looked at her when he played, he felt like his throat was constricting. Like his heart was tightening up a bit and he might not be able to breathe for a moment.

Allison had said something when Zoe was just a few weeks old about how she loved it when any child looked at her because children looked at everyone with unconditional love. He hadn't quite believed her at first, but every time he did anything that Zoe asked, she gave him that look and it was all over. He was no better than a pile of goo on the floor.

It didn't bode well for his future as a father. He could already tell that he'd never be able to say no to Zoe. She was going to be a Daddy's Girl. Life, he decided, was not going to be simple when she became a teenager.

---------------------------

Halfway through Zoe's party, Greg thought he might lock himself in the bathroom. He'd gone through five beers by four in the afternoon, and he was pretty sure that two or three more would put him over. Thankfully, he'd eaten plenty to balance out the amount of alcohol he was consuming. James had stayed by his side, blessedly, and tried to calm him every time John came anywhere near him. Allison would have done it, but she was busy with Lisa trying to keep Zoe from punching Brian in the eye.

Greg frowned and turned to James. "Your son made my daughter try to punch him in the face."

James snorted and took a sip of his beer. "Your daughter punched my son in the face for no reason. She's a lot like you."

Greg smirked. "She's wonderful." He watched as Allison handed Zoe off to Foreman and came over to him. She stole his beer and took a swig of it.

"You _could_ help by setting up the cakes, you know."

"Cakes?" James asked. "Plural?"

"One's chocolate and one's vanilla. Allison couldn't make up her mind." Greg stole his beer back. "And didn't want to offend Foreman."

"Go get the cakes," she told him with a laugh, slapping his arm. "Or I'll tell your dad that you really, really want to talk to him."

"Manipulative little bitch," he murmured into his beer bottle. "Can't _wait_ to get laid tonight."

She stuck her tongue out at him and pointed toward the kitchen before making her way back to Zoe. They'd kept the guest list pointedly short, allowing Allison's family, Greg's parents, James, Lisa, Brian, Foreman, and (against Greg's will, but to Allison's insistence) Chase. Greg still felt that having an extra eleven people in the house was simply too damned many. He reluctantly went and got the cakes, dragging James along with him to carry one of them.

"She has you completely and totally whipped," James said with a smirk. "It's nice to be able to be the one ragging on the married man for once."

Greg simply shrugged. "If Lisa could do what Allison does in bed, you'd be whipped, too. It's apparent, however, that she can't. So I will go ahead and be whipped as long as Allison keeps sucking my-"

"Greg, do you have those cakes ready?" Allison called from the living room.

James grinned. "She even hears you when she's out of earshot. That's impressive."

Greg frowned and rolled his eyes. "Not before she had a baby. She has a kid and suddenly, she's a fucking psychic." He nodded to the kitchen. "Bring in those paper plates and plastic utensils, will you?"

"Sure thing." As James brought the plates and forks into the kitchen, Allison brought Zoe in and strapped the little girl into her highchair.

"You boys have everything ready?" she asked, turning to them and smiling.

"Yeah. What kind of kid's birthday party doesn't have ice cream, though?" Greg asked with a frown.

"The kind that involves parents who are too busy to go to the store and buy some," she replied, patting Zoe's head. "Go call everyone in here, will you?"

Greg turned to James to tell him to do it, but was cut off by Allison.

"_Greg_."

He grumbled and did as he was asked, leaving James to snicker in the kitchen. Once everyone was assembled, they all sang Happy Birthday, much to Zoe's delight. That little girl loved her music. The cake was cut and passed out, and Allison made it a point to keep Greg away from Zoe as the little girl got her first slice.

It had been pointless, anyway. Little Brian, who was seated in a highchair next to Zoe, shoved her face in the cake.

Greg turned to James with a grin. "I love your kid."

------------------------------

Mostly everyone had cleared out by nine that night. The only guests left were Greg's parents and Foreman, who had stayed to help clean up.

John was in the living room with Greg, Foreman, and Zoe as Allison and Blythe cleaned up the kitchen. John was watching as Greg and Foreman sat on the floor and tried to get Zoe to walk from one to the other. "She's a bright one," the old man admitted grudgingly.

"I've got her playing scales," Greg informed his father, holding his arms out for Zoe to come to him. "Tomorrow, she'll be reading medical journals. Next week, she'll take over the world." When Zoe got to him, he held her above his head and shook her a bit before turning her and trying to get her to walk to Foreman. She crawled instead. "Okay, so maybe the diabolical plan to take over the world will have to wait for two weeks."

"I didn't think you could be a father," John said.

"Why? Because you were such a horrible failure at it?" Greg shot back immediately. He used his cane to push up off of the floor and nodded to Foreman. "You okay with her? I'm going to help in the kitchen."

Foreman watched the exchanged between Greg and John and nodded slowly. "I've got her."

"Keep her out of his hands," Greg said, pointing to his father with his cane. "He might drop her. Or let his stupidity rub off on her. And we just don't want that today." He hobbled off to the kitchen, leaving Foreman to feel awkward as he held Zoe and John frowned at them.

Blythe saw Greg entering the kitchen and rolled her eyes. "Go back in there and stop putting down your father."

"No," he responded, grabbing a water. "I refuse. I didn't want him here in the first place, and I held my tongue throughout the entire party."

"He's been complimenting Zoe all day," Blythe argued. "Saying how bright she is and how beautiful she is and how sharp she is. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"No, Mom, it doesn't. Because sooner or later, he'll find a flaw with her and he'll exploit it. And let me tell you something: My daughter _has_ no flaws. So whatever he finds will be false and he'll just lower her self esteem. He can stop while he's ahead by just not seeing her. I'm fine with that."

"Oh, Greg…" Blythe sighed, cleaning up a countertop. "You're never going to forgive him, are you?"

Allison frowned and leaned against her counter, which was already clean. "I fail to see why you won't let him hold her," she commented quietly. "He's her grandfather, Greg. He deserves the chance to at least hold her."

"No, he _doesn't_, Allison. He screwed up enough with me; I'm not giving him the chance with Zo."

Allison sighed and closed her eyes, rubbing her temples with the tips of her fingers. "Greg… I know your father screwed up with you. I know. I just… I feel like Zoe shouldn't inherit your hatred for him. If she's going to have it, she should develop it on her own. Don't you think?"

Blythe smiled. "Allison's right, Greg."

Greg rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go tell my slave to let my father hold my daughter. Just don't bitch when she vomits all over him." Blythe grinned and left.

Allison snorted. "Foreman's going to kill you."

"I'm just waiting for the day he actually starts saying 'Yes, Mas'sa.' When it comes, I will be a happy, happy man."

She smacked him. "I'm telling him and then we'll have no evening babysitter."

"Oh, please. Foreman loves me."

"He loves me more," she argued, sticking her tongue out and going to the living room.

Greg followed, grinding his jaw when he saw his father holding Zoe. Hoping to distract himself, he turned to Foreman. "You love me, don't you?"

Foreman quirked an eyebrow. "In a completely platonic, employee-slash-babysitter, I hate when you ride me at work kind of way."

"See? Two steps away from being a slave," Greg said simply, sitting in a chair and putting his leg up.

"I really ought to sue you for all you're worth," Foreman grumbled, feeling triumphant when Allison sat next to him instead of Greg. He liked it when she took his side.

"You'd get my wife and my daughter," Greg said with a frown. "Both of whom you sort of already _have_, you thieving bastard."

Foreman grinned. "I get a white chick and her white baby. I'm ecstatic."

Allison snorted, and Blythe and John merely watched the banter with smiles on their faces. Blythe's smile was much more noticeable than John's, but that was to be expected.

John handed Zoe back to Allison. "We should be leaving."

Greg nodded and stood to hug his mother goodbye. John held out a hand to shake, and Greg hesitated before taking it and shaking. He could come to some kind of a truce… Maybe.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I still haven't bought them yet. I'm working on it.

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the long time between updates, guys. I just moved into my new apartment and had some 'net problems. But they're all fixed now! And here's another chapter for you!

By the time Zoe was four, she was reading on her own, playing the piano relatively well, and demanding to go to school. Greg and Allison didn't know what to do. The school district had said that she had to wait one more year; the cutoff date was the first of September, and Zoe's birthday wasn't until the fifth of November. When Allison had relayed the news, Zoe looked at her father with a glare.

"Go make them let me in, Daddy," she said, hands on her hips.

"Even _I_ can't threaten bodily harm, kid," he replied with a frown. "Maybe we can put her in an accelerated program at the hospital," he told Allison. "They've started one, haven't they?"

"I don't _want_ the hospital!" Zoe exclaimed angrily. "I want school!" She stomped her foot on the ground and pouted.

"Don't throw a hissy fit," Greg warned. "I'll make you regret it."

"Greg," Allison scolded with a frown. "Look, Zoe, why don't we ask the doctors if they can do something for you?"

"_No_. School."

"Zoe…" Greg tried, feeling helpless. She was giving him _the look_, and he knew that he'd be mush any minute. "The classes at the hospital are great for kids. We could even get you after them and you could sit and listen to us while we try to treat patients."

"I don't _want_ the hospital!" Zoe cried, tears popping into her eyes. "I want to go to school, Daddy!"

"It's the same thing as school," Allison said gently, hoping to avoid a tantrum. "It's even better than school! You'll learn more."

"I will not!" Zoe pouted and turned to her father. "Fix it, Daddy."

Greg looked at Allison for help. "She's doing it again, Allison. She's doing the look."

"She's just as manipulative as you are," Allison commented, pulling Zoe into her lap. "Why don't you come with us to work tomorrow? Brian's in the accelerated program; you could be in it with him."

Zoe crossed her arms and pouted some more. "I don't want to be in it with Brian. He's a dweeb."

Greg laughed and held his hands over his eyes. "Too bad. You're going to have to deal with the dweeb." He sighed and looked at his daughter. "Dweeb… With such an outstanding vocabulary, it's a wonder you aren't already graduating Princeton," he said with a sneer.

Zoe glared at her father. "Fine," she said, looking haughty. "He's an incompetent fool."

Allison blinked and looked at her daughter. "And what does incompetent mean?" she asked curiously.

"Useless, inept, and hopeless," Zoe stated proudly.

Greg smirked. "Try one day of the accelerated program, Zo."

"No!" she exclaimed.

"You'll get to see Foreman," he coaxed. Over the past four years, Foreman had become his wildcard. The neurologist had chosen to stay on House's team once his Fellowship was up, as had Chase and Cameron. The only difference was that now, Greg had to actually have a reason to treat or his team would disobey.

But the relationship that Foreman had built with Zoe was one of trust and near-surrogacy. Any time something came up, the neurologist would step in and offer to watch Zoe. He claimed that she was just such a well-behaved kid. Greg claimed that it was because women thought it was hot to see a man with a baby. Either way, Zoe doted on Foreman.

Zoe looked suspicious for a moment. "Will I _really_?" she asked slowly.

"Definitely."

"Well … okay," she said with a sigh. "But just one day!"

------------------------

The next day, Greg and Allison took Zoe to work with them. They got in at nine, and the program wasn't open until ten thirty, which meant that she got to stay with them for an hour and a half. Neither minded; Greg was actually happy to have a distraction around, as their current case was getting more difficult by the second.

Zoe climbed into Foreman's lap and sat there for the differential session, calling out random diseases just because she could. Foreman smirked and whispered his ideas into her ear so that she could say them instead. It was when he'd told her to say neurofibromatosis that things got funny.

"Neurofibe… Neurofibra…" She frowned and tried again. "That's not nice," she told Foreman with a pout. "I can't say it."

He mussed her hair and grinned. "I had to. It's payback for making me watch _The Little Mermaid_."

"It's a quality film," Zoe replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

Chase laughed. "What sort of kid uses phrases like that?"

Greg smirked and Allison beamed proudly. "Ours," he said, nodding to Allison. "So Foreman thinks it's neurofibromatosis. Chase says it's something viral. Cameron?" he asked, turning to Allison. He still used her maiden name at work; things just had a better flow that way.

"I think Chase is right; neurofibromatosis would have more symptoms showing by now. Whatever this kid has, it's got to be viral or bacterial."

"Well we have to choose one. Who bets on viruses?"

Chase frowned. "We can't just bet on it. We need to run tests."

"By the time you're done gelling for viruses, he'll be dead. We need to treat," Greg said sternly. He frowned and tapped his cane on the floor as he looked at the symptoms. "Start him on broad spectrum antibiotics. We'll see if he improves. In the meantime, get the parents in a room and find out how many toxins this kid is exposed to every day."

Allison and Chase went to administer the antibiotics and get the history. Foreman stayed behind since Zoe refused to get off of his lap. "You're one tough cookie," he told her.

"I am!" she said with a satisfied smile. "Daddy tells me so all the time."

"So what are you doing here today, huh?" Foreman asked as Greg went to his office to think. "Feel like coming to work with your mom and dad?"

"Nope. They want me to be in the advanced program for kids here because school won't let me in because I was born too late to start this year. But I think that's not fair because I could be in school right now. I'm smarter than most kids my age." She kicked her little feet as she told Foreman her story.

"You are smarter than most kids your age," he agreed with a smile. "Your parents must be really proud."

"They are. They tell me so _all the time_. Daddy's always saying how I'm so good on the piano and I'm gonna sing when I get older and be really good. And Mommy says that I'm going to create a cure for cancer or something. And Uncle Jimmy promised to put me in dance classes when I'm older. He said I'm gonna be the best dancer ever."

Foreman grinned. Who knew that House's kid would be so damned cute? "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I want to be a physicist," she said with a nod, her brown pigtails bobbing up and down with her head. "Or a chemist."

"You're four!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "You shouldn't even know what a physicist _is_." He pulled her into a hug, smiling when she wrapped her little arms around his neck. "You're very smart, Zoe. Whatever you do, you'll be great."

She gave him a wide smile. "Thanks, Doctor."

He grinned. She always called him 'doctor' instead of 'Foreman.' "You're welcome, Zoe."

-------------------------------

At a quarter after ten, Greg grabbed up Zoe and headed to pediatrics. Allison had already filled out Zoe's registration paperwork and was working with the patient, leaving Greg to take Zoe by himself. He saw James on his way up, holding Brian's hand.

"Hey, House."

Greg nodded. "I thought Brian was old enough to be in school," he commented.

"He is," James admitted. "But Lisa and I wanted to send him to the program here for a year first. He'd be bored in kindergarten."

Greg smirked. "He's still going to have to go through it."

James grinned. "He's testing out of it. Right, Brian?"

"Right," Brian replied with a smile, poking Zoe in the back. "How come _you're_ here?"

Zoe stuck her tongue out at Brian. "To bother _you_. Don't poke me, buttface."

"Zoe, no name-calling," Greg warned as they waited for the elevator.

"My daddy says I'm too smart for kindergarten," Brian bragged.

"My daddy _knows_ I'm too smart for kindergarten," Zoe snapped back. She looked up at her father and sighed. "Tell him he's a buttface."

Greg snorted and looked at James. "My daughter thinks your son is being a buttface," he relayed, amused.

"That's okay," James replied, grinning at Zoe. "Your daughter's being a brat."

"Yeah." He ruffled her hair. "Isn't she perfect?"

James rolled his eyes and led the way up to pediatrics. "So why are you putting Zoe in the program here? I expected you to shove her into kindergarten."

"I tried," Greg admitted with a frown. "They won't let her in because she was born after the cutoff date, which is crap because she's a really smart kid."

"She is," James agreed. "She'll love the program they have here."

"I hope so." They stopped in front of pediatrics and Greg leaned down to speak to his daughter. "You ready?" he asked her.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Be good for them. I don't want you kicked out," he warned.

"Okay, Daddy."

"Have fun."

Zoe smiled and pressed a kiss to her father's cheek. "I will, Daddy." She frowned at her father and wiped his cheek. "You're crying," she accused.

"Am not," he replied, kissing her nose. "My eyes were watering."

"You're a liar." She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed tightly. "When will you come get me?"

"After work."

"Love you, Daddy."

He swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Love you, too, Zo." He watched her run into pediatrics and looked at James, who smiled at him.

"Hard, isn't it?"

"No," Greg replied quietly, watching one of the nurses smile and take Zoe's hand to lead her to an area with books. "It's damn near impossible." He stood and turned away from the room that the kids were in, going back toward the elevator. James walked with him. "Why didn't you warn me it was so difficult to watch her go?"

James patted Greg on the back. "Sometimes, House, it's better if you don't know what's coming," he said with a smile.

"Bastard."

"I know. But if I'd told you, you would have made sure to toughen yourself up for it. And I get to see you cry so few times in my life," James said with a smirk.

"My eyes were watering," Greg grumbled. "Allergies."

"Uh huh."

"Fuck off."

James laughed. "I think it's great that you're completely in love with your kid. It won me plenty of bets."

Greg glared at his friend, tapping his cane on the floor. "You bet against me?"

"I bet _for_ you, jackass." He got off on his floor and bid Greg goodbye.

Greg frowned at made his way back to diagnostics, glad to see that Allison was there and alone. He walked up behind her and placed a kiss on her neck. "You're taking Zoe next time," he murmured.

Allison smiled and turned to face him. "Hard to see her go?"

He scowled. "Yes. You were right. Go ahead and revel for a bit."

She pressed a kiss to his lips. "Don't worry; I won't revel in front of you. I'll wait until your back is turned, at least." She played with the lapel of his jacket. "Do you think she'll be okay?" she asked worriedly. "I'm worried that the other kids might pick on her."

Greg rolled his eyes. "She's tough. She'll kick their asses."

Allison frowned. "I don't want her beating people up."

"Don't worry about her. She can hold her own. And if they pick on her, Brian'll get them."

"I swear those two kids are _exactly_ like you and James," she commented. "It's disturbing and wonderful at the same time." She bit her bottom lip and played with the lapel of his jacket again.

"You're worried still," he commented. "Stop it. Zoe's going to be fine. If there's any trouble, they know to page us." He kissed her forehead. "So chill."

"I just… What if they hurt her feelings?"

Greg snorted. "Allison, she's four and her feelings are harder to hurt than yours are. The only thing that hurts her feelings is me yelling at her. She's going to be alright there."

But Allison continued to fret, as Greg had expected. He really was just fine with their daughter being on her own with other children; she was a tough kid and he'd made sure of it. Allison, however… Well, she'd worry no matter what. Maybe it was a good thing Greg had taken her instead of Allison.

"What if she-?"

"Allison. Stop it," he snapped. "Zoe's _fine_."

"I just-"

"_Allison_."

"That's my baby girl and she's on her own!" Allison finally exclaimed, breaking into quiet tears.

"Oh, no… Don't cry." He hated it when she cried. It was like her secret weapon. Want a cuddle? Cry a little. "Don't even…"

"She's growing up so fast…"

"She's _four_!"

"I don't even have diapers to change anymore!"

"Yeah, well, she still wets the bed occasionally, so you can change the sheets. It's practically the same."

"Greg… She's going to be grown up in no time," Allison said with a sniffle. "I just want her to stay little forever."

"Talk to Cuddy and get a grant for research," he grumbled. When Allison continued to cry, he rolled his eyes and wrapped an arm around her. "Stop this," he murmured. "No more crying."

"I can't help it! I don't know how to deal with her when she gets older… She'll have questions about periods and boys and sex and algebra. And how are you supposed to answer them? When is it okay to explain everything about sex? When is she too young?"

"Allison…" He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "When she gets her first cycle, we'll tell her about sex. When she turns eighteen, we'll tell her about kinks. See? It works."

Allison looked shocked. "You aren't talking to her about kinks!" she exclaimed.

"Why not? Eighteen is plenty old enough."

"You'll embarrass her!"

He smirked. "No. I'll embarrass _you_, which I'm perfectly okay doing." He brushed a kiss over her lips and headed for his office. "Back to work!"

-----------------------------

When they picked Zoe up from her program that evening, the nurses bragged about how well-behaved she'd been and how polite she was. Greg and Allison both looked astonished, and Greg was sure that they were talking about the wrong kid. But then Zoe came running around the corner and jumped into Allison's arms, and the nurse gave her a sucker and a sticker for being so good.

Zoe immediately handed the sucker to Greg. "I got to bake today!" she exclaimed merrily. "We made cookies! And Nurse Keller said that I'm really good at measuring and I didn't get dirty even though everyone else did. And then we got to read whatever we wanted and Brian needed help with the book he picked, but _I_ didn't need any help at all!"

Allison smiled and shifted Zoe to her other hip. "What else did you do?"

"Well they wanted us to nap but I wasn't tired because I told Nurse Keller that you don't make me nap and she said that was okay and she let me do puzzles instead! She's really nice. And she said that Daddy was a grumpy man and that you're a really nice lady and that they have the most perfect child _ever_!"

Greg grinned. "She's right; your mom _is_ a really nice lady."

Zoe stuck her tongue out at her father. "You always say I'm perfect so it's true."

"Everybody lies," he mumbled, unlocking the car door.

Zoe giggled and hopped out of her mother's arms, running over to her father and hugging his good leg. "Can we play the piano when we get home?" she asked hopefully. She loved playing the piano with Daddy. "I promise I won't bang the keys."

He smiled and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "After dinner, kiddo."

She let out a squeal of delight and climbed into the back seat.

Allison smiled at Greg over the car and he gave her a wink. She leaned over the car and whispered to him, "Maybe we can make some music once Zoe goes to bed."

He smirked. God, but he loved her.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters of House. But could someone rent them for me for my birthday? Plzthnx.

Four years later marked Zoe's first dance recital. James had put her into dance classes, just like he'd promised that he would. She was in ballet as well as tap, and she'd asked her Uncle James if he'd put her in ballroom when she was older. He promised to pay for lessons for her twelfth birthday.

As it was, she was eight and standing backstage waiting for her class to be called to the stage. She was very nervous, even though both Mom and Daddy had promised that she'd be the best dancer out there. She knew that Uncle James and Aunt Lisa were in the audience, and she hoped that Brian wasn't with them. Brian was still a butthead.

One of the dance instructors came back and got her class, leading them to the stage. Zoe nibbled on her bottom lip nervously, a habit she'd picked up from her mother, and got in line. What if she lost her balance and fell over? Or, even worse, what if stupid Susie got out of step again and knocked her over? She hated Susie. Susie thought she was perfect, but she was a dreadful dancer.

Before she knew it, there was no more time to consider stupid Susie. The music started and it was time to pirouette onto the stage. Zoe took a deep breath before her turn and let it out as she danced onto the stage.

---------------------------------

In the audience, Allison took hold of Greg's hand and squeezed, tears in her eyes as their daughter came on the stage. "Look how beautiful she is," she whispered, leaning into his side.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and watched as Zoe nailed every single one of the dance steps. She was gifted and there was no doubt about it. He hoped that she'd stick with the arts and keep her nose out of medicine; the last thing he wanted to do was open a family practice. Not to mention the fact that her name would get her everywhere in the medical world. She should have to work a bit for whatever it was she wanted so that she fully understood the value of it.

Allison smiled as the dancers took their bows, running off the stage. "Greg," she said softly. "She was perfect."

"She's always perfect," he said with a smirk. "Can we go get her and leave now?"

Allison snorted. "No. She's got another dance."

"How the hell many classes did Jim put her in?" he asked through clenched teeth. He'd be lying if he said he actually enjoyed being here. He loved seeing Zoe perform; it was the other dancers he could do without.

"Just two," she responded with a laugh. She took his hand and caressed it with the pad of her thumb. "She just has one more, Greg. It's the first one after intermission?"

"Well how far away is intermission?"

Allison checked her program and grinned. "Seven dances."

Greg groaned and dropped his head onto the back of the chair.

James, who was sitting directly behind Greg, leaned forward with a smirk. "Bored?"

"Beyond belief."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "Shut up; both of you," she snapped, pulling James back into his seat. "House, if you keep your patience, I'll give you two weeks off clinic."

"Ooh, she's _bargaining_ with me," Greg said with a smirk. "If I keep complaining?"

"Two extra hours per day," she warned.

He frowned and sat up, watching as a new batch of dancers made their way onto the stage. Life sucked hard core right about now.

-------------------------

After the recital, Greg and Allison took Zoe out for a celebratory dinner. They even treated for Lisa, James, and Brian, too. All four of the adults complimented Zoe on how wonderfully she'd done, and James and Greg went to sit in a booth across from Allison, Lisa, and the kids.

Brian sneered at Zoe once everyone was done giving their compliments. "I think you looked like a pirouetting pansy up there," he said haughtily.

Lisa looked at her son in surprise. "Brian!" she scolded.

Zoe frowned at him. "What do _you_ know about dancing? All you can do is trip all over the place."

Allison gave Zoe a disapproving look. "Zoe Cameron, that's quite enough."

Brian glared at Zoe. "I might be clumsy, but at least I don't need a math tutor."

"I don't need a math tutor!" Zoe exclaimed, standing up. "My tutor is for advanced math, you butthead!"

The mothers of the two warring children tried to stop them from fighting, but to no avail. The two simply continued, despite any efforts on their mothers' parts.

"But you still need him, don't you?"

"Shut up, Brian. At least my parents are married. Do you even know which last name you're supposed to have?" she asked with a sneer.

Greg's jaw dropped and he glared intensely at Zoe. "Zoe Cameron House," he said, his voice low and angry. "Get your snotty little ass over here." When Zoe simply stared at her father with wide eyes instead of moving, he frowned. "_Now_."

Zoe's lip started to quiver as she dragged her feet on her way to the booth that her father was sitting in. When she stood directly in front of him, Greg took hold of her shoulders. "You owe Brian an apology."

"I-I don't!" she exclaimed, obviously fearful of more scolding from her father. "He insulted me."

"He insulted your intelligence," Greg said angrily. He was upset that Zoe would strike so low and he was even more upset at the distressed look that Lisa and James got when the words had left her lips. "You don't insult his family. _Ever_. Do you understand?"

"But he-!"

"_Do you understand_?" he growled.

"Yes," Zoe whispered, looking down at the ground.

"You go apologize," he ordered. "To Brian _and_ to Aunt Lisa and Uncle James."

Zoe shuffled her feet on the floor and sniffled as she tried to hold back tears. "I'm sorry Uncle James," she whispered.

"So they can hear you," Greg said, a warning tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Uncle James," she said, her voice stronger, but her face still turned downward.

"Thank you, Zoe."

She turned and went back to the table she'd been sitting at with her mother, Aunt Lisa, and Brian. "I'm sorry, Aunt Lisa," she said.

"Apology accepted."

And then, Zoe met Brian's gaze and her eyes narrowed. "I'm not sorry, Brian," she said angrily, running to the bathroom after she'd exacted her revenge.

Allison stared after her daughter, stunned, before turning to Lisa. "I am so sorry…" she started.

Lisa held up her hand. "She's eight," she pointed out. "We were snotty at eight, too."

With a sigh, Allison excused herself from the group and went to retrieve Zoe from the bathroom. Greg looked at James, taken aback by his daughter's actions. "She doesn't normally act like that… She's been odd lately," he said quietly.

James frowned. "Maybe she's entering puberty?" he suggested.

Greg rolled his eyes. "She's eight, Jim. The chances of her going into puberty this young are slim to none."

Lisa leaned toward the two men from her table. "Jim's right," she told Greg. "She's not too young to start showing signs of puberty."

"I _know_ she isn't," Greg said with a frown. "I'm saying the chances are slim. She's just overexcited from her recital and taking it out in a negative way. I won't let her play piano when we get home and she'll feel bad about it and then really apologize and mean it." He popped a fry into his mouth.

James sighed. "When was her last doctor's appointment?"

Greg rolled his eyes. "Jim, I know how to take care of my kid."

"You don't know, do you?" Lisa asked with a sly smirk.

"No clue. Allison keeps track of them. If she _is_ going into puberty, there really isn't anything a doctor can do about it," he snarked.

Suddenly, Brian spoke up. "Mom?" he asked quietly.

Lisa turned to him. "Yeah, honey?"

"What's puberty?"

----------------------------------------

When they arrived home, Zoe went straight to her room. Allison sat on the couch, rubbing her eyes, and Greg sat next to her. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, drawing Allison's attention to him. She quirked an eyebrow to ask, without words, what was going on.

"James mentioned that Zoe might be going into puberty."

Allison's eyes widened. "God, I hope not," she groaned, cuddling into his side. "The last thing I want to do is give her a sex talk."

"She'll be nine in two weeks," he murmured quietly. "I can't help but wonder if they were right."

As if on cue, Zoe came running into the living room, tears in her eyes. "I'm dying!" she exclaimed hysterically. "I'm bleeding from _down there_ and I'm dying!"

Greg snorted and covered it with a cough, and Allison sighed, holding her arms out to her distressed daughter. "Come here, sweetie. You're not dying."

Zoe climbed into her mother's lap and tried to stop her tears. "But there's blood and I can't put a Band-Aid over it or I won't be able to pee," she sniffled.

"Honey…" Allison said with a small laugh. "It's normal to bleed from your vagina once every month. That's called your menstrual cycle, or your period. It means that your body is getting ready to make babies."

"I don't want babies!" Zoe exclaimed tearfully.

"You don't have to have them," Greg cut in, patting her head to calm her. "It's just your body telling you that it will be ready to soon."

"But … if it's ready … won't it make them?"

"Uh…" Greg looked at Allison for help. Allison smirked and sat back, letting Greg explain. Damn it all. "Well… You, ah… Um…"

"Daddy?" Zoe sniffled. "Don't you know?"

Greg laughed uncomfortably. "Yes, I know. It's… Okay. You have to have a boy to make a baby."

Zoe's eyes widened. "I saw Brian tonight! Am I gonna have a baby?" she asked fearfully.

Allison covered her face to try and hide her laughter. "No, Zoe," she said with a giggle. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Boys have something called a penis. Women have a vagina. When a man and a woman fall in love and get married, they can have a baby because of the way the penis and the vagina work together."

"But Uncle James and Aunt Lisa aren't married," Zoe said, confused. "So how did they have a baby?"

"Uh…" Allison stumbled, not sure if her daughter was ready to hear the specifics of sex. "Well…" She looked to Greg for help.

He cleared his throat and looked around the room. After locating a small vase, he brought it over to the table and grabbed a magazine that was sitting close by, rolling it up. "When a man and a woman fall in love, they have sex," he told Zoe. "That means that the man puts his penis in the woman's vagina. That's what makes a baby."

Zoe frowned. "That's weird," she said frankly. "How does that work?" Now that she knew she wasn't dying, she was curious about this whole making babies thing.

Greg couldn't believe he was about to do this, but he struggled with his own embarrassment about explaining this to his daughter and trudged forth. "The penis and the vagina fit together like puzzle pieces," he explained.

"It goes _inside_?" she asked, eyes wide.

"It goes inside," he confirmed, placing the rolled-up magazine into the vase. "Does that explain it?"

Zoe nodded, looking curiously at the magazine in the vase. "So … how do I stop the blood?"

"You don't," Allison said, rubbing Zoe's back. "Come on. I'll show you what to do." She took Zoe's hand and led her to the bathroom.

Greg watched as his wife and his daughter disappeared before dropping his head back and letting out a groan. This wasn't fatherhood; it was insanity.

**Author's Note:** I know that nine might seem young to start a period, and I wanted to address that. I was nine when I started; some women just start young like that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** Still ... not ... mine...

It was when Zoe turned thirteen that the first major crisis of puberty was upon them. After work one day, when Greg and Allison arrived home, they found Zoe lying on the couch, sobbing. Allison rushed to her daughter's side and rubbed her back.

"Zoe, honey, what's wrong?" she asked, frowning.

Greg stood in the doorway, shrugging out of his jacket and watching as his daughter lifted her face from her pillow. She'd grown into a beautiful young woman. She had her father's eyes and her mother's nose. Her hair seemed to be a mix of the two; a very dark blonde. Greg had a feeling that he already knew what was wrong with Zoe. She was absolutely beautiful, but she wasn't skinny. Genetics had been unkind to her and given her an average body. How dare they. She was still beautiful in his eyes, though.

Sure enough, Zoe wiped tears from her eyes. "The girls in gym class…" she said with a sniffle. "They were making fun of me today."

"Making fun of you for what?" Allison asked softly.

"Because I'm fat," she whispered brokenly.

"You are not fat," Greg snapped, going to his daughter's other side. "Listen to me, Zoe. You have an average body type and that's fine. You aren't overweight and you _are not_ fat."

"They're all so skinny!" Zoe exclaimed tearfully. "They have flat bellies and tiny waists and then I come wandering in like the tubby bitch from hell."

"Zoe!" Allison exclaimed, distraught. "Honey, you're beautiful just the way you are. Those girls don't-"

"What do you know?" Zoe snapped at her mother. "Look at you; you're just like they are. You're some tiny, gorgeous Barbie doll. And I'm always going to be the ugly duckling." She stood and ran to her room without another word, slamming the door.

Allison's eyes filled with tears and she looked at Greg, who was frowning worriedly and looking at Zoe's closed door. "Greg…" she whispered, holding a hand to her mouth.

"Shhh, it's okay," he assured her, kissing her forehead. "I'll go talk to her." He left his cane at the couch and went slowly to Zoe's room, knocking on the door. "Zo? Can I come in?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" she yelled through the door. Her voice was muffled, telling Greg that she had her face shoved in a pillow again.

He cracked the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. Once he was at her bed, he sat down and rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Those girls really upset you, didn't they?"

"Yes," she replied shortly, keeping her face in the pillow. "And they were right. I'm huge. I'm a size twelve, Dad. I might as well be a blimp."

"Zoe, you are not huge. You have curves; is that such a bad thing? When you're older, men will be all over you."

"That doesn't help me _now_. I'm in tons of dance classes and ballroom lessons and I can't lose an ounce." He frowned and coaxed her away from her pillow. She sat beside him and wiped the tears off of her cheeks as they fell. "I just want to be pretty like they are," she whispered, more tears falling. "Is that so much to ask? Mom's pretty; she's so skinny and beautiful. And here I am… A fat lump."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into an embrace, resting his chin on her head. "Those girls don't know anything about beautiful, Zoe. I didn't marry your mom because of what she has on the outside; it was the inside that made me want her. Yes, she is beautiful. But you are, too."

"You're my dad," she sniffled. "You have to say that."

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true. You know Foreman said just the other day how pretty you were getting. I almost had to hit him with my cane and warn him off."

Zoe gave a small laugh.

"It's true. He thinks you're beautiful. Uncle Jim and Aunt Lisa think you're beautiful. Chase wants to jump your bones."

"Chase wants to jump _everyone's_ bones."

"True." He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly. "The point is that the girls in your high school don't mean anything in the long run. Not one damned thing. Because you're always going to be better than they are. You're Zoe House. Just being a House makes you better than they are."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around her father. "I just feel so inadequate around them. Around Mom. Around Aunt Lisa. They're all so amazingly pretty."

"They didn't get to where they are by being pretty," Greg said seriously. "Lisa worked hard to be Dean of Medicine and she paid for it. Your mom worked just as hard to get to where she wanted to be, and she had to make a lot of sacrifices. You're going to have to work hard, too. But you have an advantage."

"What's that?" Zoe asked doubtfully.

"Everything you do, you excel at. You won't have to struggle like they did; you're brilliant. So you may not look like a model, but you've got the advantage here. Those girls will end up knocked up by your senior year. You'll end up with a full ride to Yale."

Zoe smiled at her father and gave him a tight hug. "I hate them, Dad," she whispered. "I hate those girls."

"Go ahead and hate them. But don't let them bring you down. Prove to them that you're better. You've got ballroom with Brian in an hour. Go to practice. Compete in the youth competition this year. Show them how great you are."

"I… I don't want to compete," she said, biting her bottom lip. "Those costumes…"

"Zoe, don't let something as stupid as a costume stop you from showing off. You and Brian can compete. Do it." He kissed her forehead. "For me?"

"Dad…" She sighed and nodded. "Okay. But when I get laughed off stage…"

"I guess I'll have to beat a lot of people with my cane."

Zoe grinned. "Thanks, Dad."

"It's my job. Now go apologize to your mother for calling her a Barbie. She's obviously too small to be Barbie; she's Kelly."

Zoe laughed.

---------------------------

May of Zoe's freshman year brought the ballroom youth competition. Brian had agreed to compete as Zoe's partner, and the two of them had practiced for three dances: the samba, the quickstep, and the tango. They stood backstage in their costumes for the samba, Zoe pacing nervously.

Brian readjusted his collar and rolled his eyes at her. "You're overreacting, Zo. We're going to be fine."

"I don't want to be fine," she snapped. "I want to win."

"We're going to win; there isn't any doubt about it." He grabbed her shoulders to still her. "Look, Zo. If you're nervous like this, you're going to screw up the steps. Just chill."

The couple before them was called and Zoe held her stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Not on my shoes, you're not," Brian responded, turning her so that she faced one of the other competitors. She laughed lightly and he grinned. "Come on," he said, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Let's get ready." They went off to a quite area of the waiting room and talked through the steps together. It wasn't long before their names were called.

Zoe took a deep breath as Brian placed an arm around her waist, leading the way onto the floor. She was nervous. Not because of the dancing; she had that down backwards, forwards, and sideways. It was the costume… A brilliant red dress, flowing along her body; one twirl and the skirt flew out, just like it was supposed to. She was afraid people would shriek at the sight of her thighs.

But soon, it was too late to worry. They took their opening position and the music started. Any insecurity about her body was pushed to the back of her mind as they moved across the floor. The steps came naturally; they moved well together, as their instructor always told them.

Once the dance was over, they smiled for the audience and took their bows, going to the back room to wait for their scores.

"They're going to mark us down," Zoe whispered, biting her bottom lip.

"For what?" Brian asked curiously. "We were perfect out there."

"For … who knows what? For my costume making me look like an apple," she muttered.

"You look amazing, Zoe. Stop it."

"I look like-"

"A million bucks," he cut her off. "Look, there are our scores… 9.9! We got marked down… Damn it. I forgot the accoutrement…"

Zoe beamed. "You _always_ forget the accoutrement." She threw her arms around him and he laughed, hugging her. "We almost got a perfect score! We're in first place!"

He laughed and twirled her around, making her squeal. "Come on," he told her, dragging her toward the changing rooms. "We've got to change for the quickstep."

--------------------------

At the end of the competition, Zoe and Brian had come in first place. Their scores were too high to beat, and they'd been invited to compete in nationals. They'd have to discuss it with their parents, they told the recruiters, but they'd be giving the judges a call.

Their parents had gone out to their cars, telling the two of them to take their time in packing up their costumes. In the dressing room, girls were surrounding Brian and fawning over him, causing Zoe to roll her eyes. She zipped up her final costume bag and slung the three of them over her shoulder, pushing through the hoard of girls to get to Brian. "Are you guys coming out to dinner with me and my folks?" she asked.

"More than likely." He packed up one of his own bags.

One of the girls in the crowd gave Zoe a predatory smirk. "You sure you should be going out to eat, hun?" she asked sweetly. "Maybe you ought to be fasting."

Zoe gritted her teeth and turned to leave, but Brian grabbed hold of her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he told the girl coldly. "Could you say that again? I don't think I heard you properly."

"I told your not-so-little partner that she ought to go on a diet," the girl said with a shrug. "No one should be that big and dancing. It's, like, sacrilege."

Brian smirked and dropped his garment bag, wrapping his arms around Zoe from behind and resting his chin on top of her head. He was almost a foot taller than she was, so it was easy for him to envelop her, even though he was skinnier. "I _like_ the way Zoe looks," he said quietly, hugging her to him. "I like the way she feels against me when we dance. She's soft, not angular. It makes it easier to dance when I don't have ribs and hipbones poking me."

Zoe fought back tears of both humiliation and gratitude and placed her hands on top of Brian's. The girl who had snubbed her turned on her heel and stormed out, followed by a slew of others. "Thank you," Zoe whispered to Brian once the room was clear.

He gave her a soft hug before pulling away to pack up the rest of his things. "Don't mention it. I was only telling the truth. I'd rather dance with you than one of those sluts any day." He tossed his bags over his shoulder and gave her a lopsided grin. "Come on. Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving after the competition."

Zoe smiled weakly, and Brian wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry about those girls, Zo. They're idiots. You know that. Why do you let them get to you?"

She shrugged. "I just do. I can't help it; they do have a point. I mean, I'm not exactly skinny."

"You're not fat, either." He frowned and shifted his bags to his other shoulder, taking Zoe's from her to carry them himself. "I was serious when I said I like you this way. It's ridiculous for you to be so sensitive about your size; you have a great face. And your eyes could make men fall."

Zoe blushed and scratched the back of her head. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Brian grinned. "No. If I wanted to make you feel better, I'd tell you that you were oh-so-hot and I wanted nothing more than to jump your bones. I'm just trying to tell you the truth, butthead." He nudged her with his elbow.

She laughed lightly and nudged him back. "You're a butthead."

"Fine. We're both buttheads. Now let's go fill our stomachs." He paused and looked curious. "Where would the crap come out? I mean, if your butt is your head…"

"Oh, gross!" Zoe exclaimed, not sure whether to giggle or hurl.

Brian laughed. "I'll stop. Weakling!"

"It's not my fault I can't stomach the thought of you shitting out of your face."

They made their way to their parents' cars, laughing the entire way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anyone you recognize from the show. KELLY ANGRY! KELLY SMASH! And so on and so forth.

When Zoe turned sixteen, it was time for driver's education. She was nervous about it; not because she thought she'd fail at it or anything. But because her father had offered to drive with her, and that was a scary, scary thought. She'd much rather her mom drive with her… Mom was patient and kind and she was really nice about it whenever Zoe made a mistake. Dad? Not so much.

She got home from school and dropped her bag in the middle of the floor, just like she always did, before going to the kitchen for a snack. After scavenging through the fridge, she found a pomegranate and cracked it open, spilling the seeds into a bowl and going to sit in front of the television to relax before she started on her homework.

As she nibbled on her afternoon snack, she thought about the fact that her parents would be home in two hours. She'd be driving with her dad in _two hours_. There was no way that anyone could prepare themselves for that. No way in hell. She was nervous… What if he yelled at her? What if she drove in the wrong lane or something? She didn't want to drive with him. Not one bit.

Maybe she could get Foreman to drive with her instead. He was always really nice to her, and he'd offered to help her with driving when she'd told him that she was in driver's ed. Uncle Jim offered, too. Aunt Lisa had, but Zoe wouldn't take her up on the offer; Aunt Lisa was no better than Dad when it came to getting pissy with someone. She acted like she was, but she wasn't really.

She sighed and grabbed up the phone, dialing Brian's cell phone number. When he answered, he sounded flustered, and Zoe smirked. "I'm sorry… Did I interrupt a make-out session?"

Brian groaned. "I'm in the middle of something, Zoe."

Zoe snorted. "In the middle of some girl's legs, no doubt," she snarked. "Sorry. I can let you go. Or she can help you let go … whatever."

He groaned again. "Zoe, I'm not having sex. I'm getting a massage."

"Hey, if that's what you want to call it…"

"I _am_. My chiropractor suggested it." He sighed and Zoe rolled her eyes.

"If you'd stop playing football, you wouldn't _need_ a chiropractor. Join the marching band. Come be in drama club with me."

He snorted and she heard him shifting the phone to the other side of his face. "I can't do drama club, Zoe. I hate getting on stage in front of people and play a part; you know that. Ah… You know, this kind of hurts."

"They're rubbing kinks out of your muscles, genius. It's not going to feel all that great the first time around." She munched on some more pomegranates and turned off the television. "I have to go driving with my dad today."

Brian was deadly quiet. "I'm … so sorry. When should I schedule your funeral for? And do I get that awesome vintage Nintendo that your dad got you for your birthday?"

"Shut up. Asshole." She sighed and set the food down. "I didn't have the heart to tell him that I wanted Mom to take me."

"Zo, he's going to scream at you. Your head could explode from the scream-age."

"Yeah, thanks, Brian. You're a great help."

"It's what I'm here for." He paused and switched the phone to the other side once more. "Did you get the registration forms for the ballroom competition in the mail yet? I got mine yesterday. They want us to switch up our routine this year."

"Switch the routine? Why?"

"Something about us growing as dancers. They want us to advance to the Argentine Tango."

"Christ. I can't dance that with you!" she exclaimed, covering her eyes with one of her hands. "It's like … sex with clothes on."

"That's called dry-humping, Zoe."

"Bite me." She sighed. "It's … won't that be uncomfortable? I mean, for us to dance like that?"

"I don't see why," he responded with a yawn. "Our parents have had us dancing together for years, Zo. The adjudicators know what we're capable of and they want us to reach that goal. The Argentine Tango _is_ a pretty risqué dance, but it's one of the most technically difficult ballroom routines out there. I think we ought to feel honored that they want us to tackle it."

Tackle it? _Tackle it?_ Fuck that. She'd be tackling _him_ by the end of one rehearsal. There was no way she could deny how attractive Brian had become over the past few years. He looked a lot like his father; they could be twins if he were older. And he was lean and fit and muscular and… "Ugh."

"That's an enthusiastic response."

"Brian…" _I think you're really hot and I'd love it if you'd just jump me. That'd be great._

"Yeah?"

"…I'll let you get back to your massage. Thanks for listening."

"Wait, Zoe. What's up? You sound funny."

"Nothing," she said reassuringly. "Just nervous about driving. I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone and tossed it onto the chair. With a sigh, she put her feet up on the coffee table. This whole thing was going to be a disaster; she couldn't dance the sexiest dance in ballroom with Brian. She just couldn't do it. She needed to think up a _good_ excuse as to why.

-------------------------

As Greg and Allison drove home from work, Greg got lectured on how he needed to take it easy on Zoe as he took her out for her first driving lesson. He rolled his eyes as he turned the corner.

"Allison, I'm not going to kill her if she runs a stop sign, okay?"

Allison sighed and closed her eyes. "I just know you, Greg. And I know that you're going to get frustrated and yell at her. I really think I ought to take her out for her first lesson."

He frowned. "I'm pretty sure I can handle taking our daughter out driving."

"You hate it when I drive," she pointed out. "It drives you nuts because you aren't in control. You think it's going to be any easier to have Zoe behind the wheel?"

"Yes."

"How?" she asked, exasperated with the way her husband was acting.

"Because she isn't going to _nag me_," he snapped. He sighed as he stopped at a red light. "You really think I'm going to completely lose my patience with her, don't you?"

"We've had a stressful workweek," Allison pointed out logically. "We lost a patient today. You're already stressed as it is; teaching your daughter how to drive isn't going to lessen that any." She nibbled on her bottom lip and looked out the window. "I just don't want you yelling at her and then having her say she's never driving again," she voiced her worries quietly.

"She's not going to get that wimpy if I yell at her. She just isn't. She's going to be fine. I'm taking her driving after dinner and it's going to be just fine. You worry too much."

"I always worry too much to you," she mumbled.

He frowned and glanced over at her. "What's wrong? You're unusually depressed."

"I am not," she argued, looking out the window with a small frown gracing her features. "I just…" She sighed and let out a small laugh. "Zoe's sixteen, Greg," she said softly. "It's just flown by, hasn't it?"

He couldn't help a small grin as he pulled into their driveway. "It makes me feel old," he told her, grabbing his cane out of the back seat and getting out of the car. "Don't bring it up again."

She laughed and followed him inside. "You _are_ old," she teased with a grin. "You're sixty one and you're married to a forty six year old woman. Dirty old man." She stopped on the front porch and turned to him with a smile.

He snorted and wrapped his free arm around her waist, bringing her body to his and brushing a slow kiss over her lips. "You're the delicious young woman with an Electra complex."

"I don't have one," she murmured against his lips. "I just like sexy older men." As she leaned into him for a deeper kiss, the front door opened.

Zoe stood there, hand on her hip. "Now, if you kids want to make out, that's fine and dandy. But don't do it where I can see. Please?"

Allison laughed and kissed Zoe on the cheek. "How was school?" she asked as she and Greg made their way inside.

"Not bad. Brian said he got something from the ballroom adjudicators; they want us to start on the Argentine Tango for this year's competition."

Greg stopped in his tracks and turned, eyes narrowed, to face Zoe. "They want you to start on _what_?" he asked slowly.

"The … Argentine Tango… Daddy, are you okay?"

"You're _sixteen_!" he exclaimed angrily. "You aren't dancing that, regardless of what the adjudicators say. Forget it. You two can work on something else."

Zoe's eyes widened. "Dad, it's just a dance…"

"Yeah. And you'd be dancing it with Brian. Uh-uh. Pick something else."

Zoe looked to Allison for help. "Mom…"

Allison sighed. "Greg, I don't see why they can't dance it. They're mature enough to know that it's just a dance. And they've been dancing together for years."

"Exactly," Greg said. "They've been dancing together for years. And Brian is a teenage male. My daughter is not dancing the Argentine Tango with him. It isn't happening; end of story. Let's get dinner."

"Greg-"

"_No_," he snapped. "Dinner."

"But, Daddy-"

"Enough!" he exclaimed. "Zoe, you're too young to be dancing like that, especially with Brian. I don't want to hear anymore argument on the matter. It's past six and it's time for dinner. Then we're going driving. Capiche?"

Zoe bit her bottom lip and looked at her shoes. "I just-"

"Zoe," Greg snapped with a warning tone to his voice. "Don't start."

"Dad-!"

"Damn it, Zoe-"

"I really want to do this!" she finally shouted over his rising voice. "If we pull it off, we'll go to nationals again. Don't you want me to go to nationals?"

"Not if it means dancing the Argentine Tango. If the two of you dance that, it won't just be the dance that you're pulling off. Call Brian and pick something else; you're _not_ dancing the Argentine Tango. Now what do you want for dinner?"

"I'm not all that hungry," she mumbled grumpily, going into the living room and plopping down on the couch before turning on the television.

Greg watched her go and frowned, leaning against a wall. Allison rubbed his arm. "Greg, she just wants to dance…"

"Allison, she's… I don't trust Brian with my baby girl. I don't want them dancing something that, firstly, is for adults, and secondly, is sex standing up. She'll be wrapped around him like leather around a three hundred pound woman. I don't want to see that."

Allison smiled gently. "Greg, she knows what she's doing." She leaned into his side, resting her head near his shoulder. "I think you should let them dance it. Brian's not going to do anything uncouth… He knows better. He fears your wrath."

He smirked. "And he should. He lays one finger out of place on Zoe and I'll kill him. No questions asked."

"You're so overprotective of her…" she sighed. "She's going to grow up sooner or later, you know. You're going to have to let her experience things."

"Not while she lives under my roof," he muttered, watching his daughter as she flipped through the channels.

"Keep that up and she'll hate you, Greg."

"She's my little girl."

"She's sixteen…"

"Allison…" He sighed and closed his eyes. "You were right earlier… She is growing up too fast."

She smiled and brushed a kiss over his lips. "Come on. Let's talk her into dinner."

-----------------------

After dinner, Zoe climbed into the driver's seat of the car, Greg sitting in the passenger seat. He told her how to back out of the driveway, to watch for cars on the street. She did just fine. As she drove down the street, he reminded her to watch her speed. Once she was more confident, she was coasting along without any problems. It was when she ran a red light that there were problems.

A car honked at her and she panicked, slamming on the breaks. Greg's eyes widened as a car screeched to a halt right beside the passenger side door. He'd experienced his life flashing before his eyes before; seeing it again was _not_ pleasant.

"Fucking shit, Zoe! What the hell are you doing!"

"I didn't see the light!" she exclaimed, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. "I didn't see it… The tree… I couldn't see it…"

He gripped his cane tightly and got out of the car to apologize to the other driver. Thankfully, the intersection wasn't too busy. Zoe stayed in the car and watched as her dad took care of the situation and got back in the car. He sat in the passenger's seat and buckled his seatbelt once more. "You're driving us home," he said sternly.

"I… I don't think I want to, Dad," she whispered, still freaked from what had almost happened. She'd almost killed her father.

"You're doing it, Zoe. Put the car in drive and take us home."

"Dad…"

"Zoe, you _can_ do this and you _will_ do this. Home."

With shaking hands, she put the car into drive and took the shortest way home that she knew. She didn't want to spend any more time behind the wheel of a car than was absolutely necessary. Ever.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I may not own House or Cameron or Wilson or Cuddy or Foreman or Chase... But I DO own Zoe and Brian, and I play with them like paper dolls.

November of Zoe's senior year brought on the college application process. She'd applied to five schools, all of them renowned for their theatre programs. Greg and Allison couldn't have been happier; neither of them had wanted their daughter to go into anything medicine-related. Both of them were positive that she'd get into all of the schools that she'd applied to. After all, her GPA was flawless, and her theatrical experiences were beyond compare.

Zoe, on the other hand, was quite nervous about the whole thing. She had auditions in February and would find out about admissions in April. As it was, her father was helping her prepare for her musical theatre auditions by playing accompaniment for her as she sang. He told her that she sang like an angel; she thought she sang like a dying cow.

But she continued to work, singing a multitude of songs from a multitude of musicals and choosing which ones she wanted to audition with. She needed three; she'd cut it down to five to choose from.

At school one day, during lunch, she sat down with Brian and they picked through the pieces that she had left. As they discussed the music, one of the many women after Brian (and one of the more persistent ones that Zoe couldn't stand … nor could she remember the name of) pushed her way in between him and Zoe.

"Hey, Bry," the girl said sweetly, chewing gum as she spoke to him. "How's it going?"

Brian frowned. "I'm kind of busy right now, Liz," he told the girl, trying to gently push her out of his way. "Maybe we can talk in class."

"Oh, come on. It's just House. You've known her, like, all of your life," Liz persisted, leaning against Brian's arm and gazing into his eyes.

In the background, Zoe mocked gagging, choking herself, and hanging herself.

Brian tried not to laugh. "Come on, Liz. Later. Zoe and I are busy trying to figure out some music for her auditions."

"Oh, I know all about music!" Liz exclaimed in a high-pitched squeal, which made Zoe cringe and rub her ears. "I, like, took this music class last year and played music and everything! I can read it really good."

"But you can't speak really well," Zoe muttered under her breath, causing Brian to snort.

"Seriously, Liz. We'll talk in gym class or something."

Liz pouted. "How come you're always pushing me away, Bry? Are you gay or something?"

Zoe laughed hysterically. "You think Brian's gay?" she asked with a disbelieving smile.

"Well, yeah. I mean, he doesn't date any girls here."

"No, he dates girls from the Catholic school across town; because he's a _smart_ boy," Zoe sneered. "I've interrupted so many of his sexcapades that it's ridiculous. Go spread your legs for another football player; he might even pay child support when he knocks you up."

Liz's mouth dropped open and Brian covered his to stop his laughter. "Are you calling me a slut?" Liz asked, her voice slipping to a high-pitched tone that had Zoe cringing once more.

"Yeah. Pretty much. But at least I said it to your face instead of behind your back. It's a good thing; everyone else smiles at you to your face and then tallies your conquests when you turn away. Someone has a bet going on whether you have gonorrhea or syphilis. I'm rooting for herpes. Which is it?"

"Fucking bitch," Liz spat.

"Yeah… I know."

"You're such a dyke."

"Hey, now. I like penises just as much as the next girl. The occasional pussy isn't _bad_ or anything, but it's not my main sexual staple."

Brian grinned and put a hand on Liz's shoulder. "Zoe House has a tongue sharper than a katana. Go on and hang out with Laney; I'll catch you in gym, okay?"

Liz frowned at the two of them and stormed off.

"She's gonna go tell her little blonde friends that I'm a bitch and a dyke," Zoe said carelessly. "…Awesome."

Brian laughed and kissed Zoe's temple. "You're the coolest person I know, you know that?"

"Yeah, I am pretty damn cool." She pushed the music at him. "We need to cut one more."

For the remainder of the lunch period, they worked on the music and, by the time the bell rang for them to go back to class, they'd cut the pieces. She had her music for auditions. She was ready to practice.

February rolled around and Greg and Allison both took one week off of work to take Zoe to her multiple auditions. They'd gone to New York for two of them, Chicago for two of them, and their final stop was Michigan, where Zoe was auditioning for the University of Michigan's musical theatre program. After all, U of M was her dad's alma mater.

As they walked toward the performing arts center, Greg frowned. "I forgot how fucking cold it gets in Michigan in February," he said gruffly. The cold was killing his leg.

"We're almost there, Dad."

"I know." He looked around the campus and let out a slow breath. "To think I finished med school here."

"It could have been Hopkins if you hadn't cheated," Allison teased, nudging him in the side.

"Hey. _He_ cheated off of _me_ and we both got booted. I've never had to cheat."

"Me, neither!" Zoe exclaimed merrily, music tucked safely under her arm. "What's going to happen if I don't get into any of these schools?" she asked worriedly.

Greg smirked. "You'll go into medicine. It's really that simple."

"Ew. No."

"Then I guess you'd better get into one of these schools."

Allison laughed lightly and elbowed Greg in the side. "Stop that."

"I'm just telling it like it is," he said innocently. "If she doesn't get into a performing arts program, she goes into medicine. It's settled."

"Daddy? You're an ass."

"Aww. She loves me."

They walked the rest of the way in silence and waited in the lobby of the performing arts center. One of the adjudicators came out and called Zoe in. Greg and Allison both dropped a kiss on her forehead and wished her luck, watching as she disappeared into the theatre.

"She's going to be brilliant," Allison whispered with a smile.

Greg grinned. "She already is."

When April rolled around, Zoe got her acceptance letters. She'd made it into four of the five schools that she'd auditioned for and had been wait-listed on the final one.

Greg smiled brightly and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "Which one are you going to?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'm waiting to see where Brian goes. We've applied to three of the same schools."

Allison grinned. "You want to go with Brian, then?"

"Well … yeah," Zoe said with a shrug. "I mean, it only seems right. We've known each other all of our lives and it would be cool to go somewhere where I already know at least one person."

Greg and Allison exchanged knowing looks. "So … is there something going on between you and Brian?" Greg asked casually.

"What?" Zoe asked, confused. "Uh… No… He might as well be my brother. Besides, he's got girls all over him. Even if I _were_ interested, which I'm _not_, I wouldn't stand a chance."

"I think you'd be surprised," Allison said with a small smile. "Brian seems pretty smitten with you."

"Please, Mom. He's just nicer to me because we're so close. It's not that big of a deal."

"I just think you might want to consider the fact that you and Brian are more than just friends," Allison said sweetly.

"You're bonkers."

"It's why I married her," Greg admitted with a shrug. "She had to be bonkers to want me."

Zoe grinned. "You're both completely nuts. There isn't going to be anything between me and Brian. Ever. I just want to go to the same college that he goes to. We've already discussed it; we talked about it before my auditions."

"And what if you hadn't gotten into any of the schools that he had?" Greg asked curiously.

"He would have applied to one that I got in to."

"Even if it didn't have premed?" Allison inquired.

"Yeah. He said he'd major in chemistry or something and just take his classes when he could." She shrugged. "He's just a really good friend."

"Who has a thing for you," Greg muttered under his breath, quiet enough to keep Zoe from hearing him. "Why don't you go see him? Decide which school you two are going to."

"Okay." She shrugged and grabbed up the car keys. She'd gotten her license without another accident like she'd had before, and she'd passed her road test with flying colors. "I'll be home for dinner."

"Alright, sweetie," Allison replied, kissing Zoe on the cheek on her way out. Once Zoe was gone, Allison sat next to Greg on the couch. "That girl's in trouble."

"Yeah… At least it's Jim's kid, though. I'd kill anyone else for touching her."

Allison smiled a secret, womanly smile. "Greg. She's eighteen. You don't really think she's still a virgin, do you?"

Greg went completely still and stared at Cameron. "She'd damned well better be."

Allison laughed. "Greg… No, honey. Zoe lost her virginity last year."

"She _what_! To who?"

She placed her hand on his arm to calm him and kissed his cheek. "Never you mind. She's a big girl, Greg, and she knew what she was doing. She used a condom; she's on birth control."

"Yeah. Birth control that _you said_ was for her dysmenorrhea," he said accusatorily.

"Well, it was. Partially." She paused and sighed when he glared at her. "If I'd told you the other part of the reason, you would have locked her in her room until God knows when."

"Damn right I would have."

"She would hate you for it."

"She should still be a virgin, Allison. What does she need to have sex for? She's eighteen; she needs to study, not fuck."

Allison laughed. "She has straight A's, Greg! She's fine." She curled into his side and let out a sigh. "You're just upset that your little girl didn't tell you something."

He frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. So Allison was right. So what? She could be right every now and again, he supposed. But it wasn't fair that Zoe wouldn't tell him. It really wasn't. A part of him realized that she was smart not to let him know. He would have hounded her until she'd told him who she'd had sex with and where he lived. But could anyone blame him? Zoe was his little girl, and he loved her more than he ever thought possible.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I wish I owned them... And I also hope that I'm not sued for copywright infringment, because let me tell you what: They will get nothing other than debt. Woot.

Zoe and Brian had settled on attending the University of Michigan. Their parents had been okay with it; their only problem was moving in. James and Greg both rented vans for the weekend to take their kids to Michigan. Allison and Lisa would be driving; the men claimed that they couldn't be emasculated by driving mini-vans.

Once everything was packed and ready to go, they were on their way to the school. The drive took ten long hours, but they got there with few problems and were allowed to move the two young adults in early so as not to inconvenience the parents. Greg's name still had pull at U of M, and he was oh-so-glad for it.

Zoe slung a bag over her shoulder and frowned. "I still think it's utter bullshit that they don't let boys and girls room together. What are we going to do?"

"Have copious amounts of kinky sex," Brian called out from his van, picking up a large box. "Hello. We're teenagers."

Zoe made a face. "It's shit."

Allison snorted. "Deal with it, honey. At least your father and I sprung to get you a single room. You ought to be thanking every god that there is right about now that we didn't make you get a roommate."

"They paid for a single?" Brian asked, outraged. He turned to his parents. "They paid for Zoe to get a single!"

"They spoil her more than we spoil you," Lisa snapped, dropping a box on top of the one he already had. "Deal with it."

"They make less than you two do and _they_ got a single," Brian continued to grumble.

"You want to put the boxes back in the van and we'll go home and you can go to Princeton?" James asked with a frown. "Because we can do that."

"No," Brian muttered.

"Then let's get the two of you moved in already."

Zoe walked beside Brian as they made their way to the dorms. "Someone's parents are grumpy," she said in a singsong voice.

"Bite me, tyke," he growled in response. "I can't believe your parents got you a fucking single."

"You can sleep over," she muttered to him out of the corner of her mouth.

"He can not!" Greg called out from behind the two of them.

Zoe frowned. "He hears _everything_, I swear."

------------------------------------

Once Zoe and Brian were all settled in, their parents stayed with them before saying goodbye. It was harder for Zoe than she expected it to be. Why did it have to be so hard to say goodbye to her parents?

"You gonna be alright here?" Greg asked casually, leaning against the closed door to Zoe's dorm room.

"Yeah," Zoe said quietly, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I think so."

"You know that if you ever need to come home, all you have to do is call," Allison said gently, wrapping her arms around her daughter and holding on tightly. "We'll fly you home quicker than you can say 'subacute brucellosis.'"

Zoe laughed and held onto her mother. "Only because it's a long term."

Greg smirked from the corner of the room. "Hey. If it weren't for subacute brucellosis, you wouldn't be here today."

Zoe frowned and looked at her father curiously. "What?" she asked, confused.

He gave her a smile and limped over to sit on the edge of her bed, patting the spot next to him for her to come sit. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Your mother is fifteen years younger than I am," he told her.

"Jesus," Zoe whispered in awe. "I didn't know you guys were that far apart. You never brought age into your birthdays or anything."

"I was her boss when we got together."

Zoe blinked and went slack-jawed. "Holy shit. That's … really unethical. And kind of hot."

Greg and Allison laughed, and Allison sat on Greg's other side. His free arm went around her waist. "Before your mother, I had been with a woman who'd left me. Not only because I had a disability, but because I was a total asshole."

"You're still a total asshole," Zoe pointed out.

"Yes. But now, I have a daughter and a wife to be an asshole to. Look, the point here is that… I understand that people can change. I also understand how powerful an unexplainable attraction can be. If something does happen with Brian-"

"Oh my God, Dad. Stop."

"If something _does_ happen with Brian," he repeated forcefully, "I want to know. Or I want you to tell your mother. Hell, tell Lisa or James if that makes you more comfortable. Call up Foreman, even. Just … tell someone."

"So you can butcher him?" Zoe asked flatly.

Greg grinned. "So I can kick your ass and say 'I told you so,'" he replied, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Right… So … how does subacute brucellosis tie into this?" she asked curiously.

"We were working on a case," Allison said with a small, fond smile. "He thought it was subacute brucellosis. I didn't. We argued. He shut me up by kissing me."

Zoe's jaw dropped. "That's _awesome_," she stated with a laugh of disbelief.

"Yeah. I was great in my younger days," Greg drawled sarcastically. He checked the clock on the wall and frowned. "We need to go, sweetie."

Zoe bit her bottom lip and tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh… Okay…"

Greg smiled and kissed her forehead. "You'll be fine."

"I know," she said with a teary-eyed smile. "It's just … a big step. I'm gonna be pretty far away."

"You've got Brian here with you," Allison said, tears already pouring down her cheeks. They all stood and Allison wrapped her arms around her daughter. "We'll call when we get home, honey. Love you."

"Okay, Mom. I love you, too." She gripped her mother tightly, almost afraid to let go.

Allison pulled away and moved to the side, and Greg stepped in, hugging Zoe tight to him. "Don't screw up, okay?" he asked roughly.

"I won't, Daddy," she whispered with a smile. "I love you."

"Love you, too, kiddo." He let her go and headed for the door, holding it open for Allison. Once they were out the door, Zoe sat on her bed and sobbed. When the parents left to go home, the men had to drive; the women were crying too hard.

As soon as Brian's parents were gone, he went to Zoe's room and knocked before entering without waiting for an answer. When he saw her sobbing on her bed, he rushed to her side and wrapped an arm around her. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently.

"I just… They… They're gone, Brian," she cried out. "They're gone. They just left me here!"

"What did you expect them to do, Zo?" Brian asked with a small chuckle. "Transfer to Michigan?"

"No," she whispered. "I guess not. I just… God, Brian, I'm not ready for this."

He pulled her into his arms and held her while she cried. "You're going to be fine, Zo. You're going to be great here."

She held onto his shirt and sobbed into his chest. "I should have gotten a roommate," she said brokenly. "I don't want to be alone right now. I don't want to be alone tonight, Brian."

He rubbed her back and rocked her gently. "Shhh. I'll stay here tonight; don't worry about it. You won't be alone." As he held her, he settled his chin on top of her head. "I'll never let you be alone."

------------------------------------------------

Brian stuck to his promise, too. Toward the end of the school year, Zoe had a bad breakup with the boyfriend she'd hooked up with sometime in late September. Brian was the first person she called. He'd been to her room in an instant, finding her throwing things at the wall. There was shattered glass all over the floor in the corner, and she was getting ready to hurl another glass.

Brian ran up and grabbed Zoe's wrist. "Hey!" he exclaimed, taking the glass from her. "Stop. Enough. Tell me what the hell is going on."

"Peter. Fucking _Peter_!" she yelled, reaching for the glass. Brian snatched it out of her reach. "He broke up with me!"

"I guessed that," Brian said calmly. "Stop yelling. Tell me what happened."

"He broke up with me. He'd been cheating on me with fucking Stacey Morris. That bitch."

"Wait… Stacey Morris? That girl who looks like a toothpick and has a huge gap in her front two teeth?"

"Yes. And they fixed her teeth. Now she just looks like a toothpick," Zoe said through gritted teeth. "This is what always happens, Brian. Always! Men leave me for those models." Tears popped into her eyes and she sagged onto her bed, defeated. "I've been the _star_ in every show this year. _Every show_. The first freshman ever to do that. And he still cheats on me with some gorgeous girl."

Brian set the glass down and slowly sat down next to Zoe. "He doesn't value you," he said softly. "Not like he should. You're beautiful, Zoe."

"You're just saying that because-"

"Shut up," he snapped at her. "Shut up and let me finish." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You're always putting yourself down; other people are always putting you down and I never understood why. You _are_ beautiful. I think you're absolutely lovely and I've never once lied when I said that. I _like_ your body; it's sexy. You're _sexy_, Zoe. Those hips and thighs and God… Your breasts. I've fantasized about you since I was, like, thirteen."

Zoe let out a small laugh. "You have not," she said, shaking her head.

"I have." He cupped her chin in his hand and brought her eyes to his. "You choose the worst men to go out with, Zo."

"Like you're one to talk. Alyssa Mackay, the cheerleader who thought she was psychic?"

"Hey, everyone makes mistakes." He stroked her cheek with his thumb and felt his heart jump when her eyes shut just a bit and she moved her face into his caress, almost like a kitten. "I've wanted you since we started high school," he admitted in a murmur. "I don't care if that ruins our friendship right now… It's about time you realized that someone cares for you and respects you for who you are. And who wants you as you are."

"Brian… I … I don't know what to say," she whispered, dumbfounded. Her father had been right, damn him to hell.

"You don't have to say anything," he said softly. "I'll just… I'll go." He stood to leave, but Zoe rushed to him.

"Don't," she demanded, grabbing his wrist. She looked at his wrist in her hand and was quiet for a moment, thinking of what to say. "I… You really do think I'm attractive?"

"Zoe, tons of guys on campus find you attractive. All of the men in my hall want to jump you."

"You'd kill them if they tried."

"Damn right, I would," he growled.

She gave him a smile and stepped closer to him. "I've been a fool."

"You're admitting it?"

"Just this once," she whispered, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck and bringing his lips down to hers. "Just this once…" She brushed her lips lightly over his, experimenting, making sure this was okay. And, oh, but it was.

His hands went to her hips, pulling her closer, and he ran his tongue along her bottom lip hesitantly. Her eyes flew open, focused on his, and she deepened the kiss. They should have done this _much_ sooner, they both decided. This should have happened a long time ago.

They somehow worked their way to the bed, Brian sitting on the edge and Zoe straddling him. As she reached for his shirt, her cell phone rang, causing her to jump. She glanced at the LCD. "It's my dad," she said with a smirk.

Brian, catching his breath, smirked back. "You should answer it."

Still breathless, she opened the phone. "Hello?" she answered huskily.

"Zoe?" she heard her father's voice. "Please don't tell me I interrupted something."

"Oh, the snark," she said, rolling her eyes. She gave a soft gasp when Brian placed a playful nip on her neck.

"Jesus, Zo, hang up the phone. Call me back when you finish."

"I'm not having sex, Dad," she said with a laugh.

"Not yet, at least," Brian muttered.

"Is that Brian?" Greg asked with a snap.

"…Yes."

"What the fuck is going on over there?"

"I'm making out with Brian. Can I call you back later?"

She heard him clearing his throat. "Yeah. Later." And the phone went dead.

Back in Princeton, Greg looked at Allison. "She's going to call back later."

"You didn't even tell her about her coming home surprise," Allison said with a frown. "Foreman's picking her up from the airport."

"I … don't think she cares much about Foreman at this minute," Greg replied, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "We need to call Jim and Lisa."

"…Why?"

"Our kids are making out right at this very minute."

Allison dropped the plate she'd been holding. Greg smirked, laughing soon after.

"I can't believe I owe Foreman three hundred bucks!" Allison exclaimed angrily. "That bastard doubled up on me!"


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the canons. Le sigh.

**Author's Notes:** THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M! Please react accordingly. Hee.

The summer after Zoe and Brian's freshman year of college started out quite awkwardly. Zoe would never get used to eating dinner with James and Lisa as Brian's girlfriend, and Brian steered clear of Greg as much as humanly possible. This was quite difficult since he was doing pre-med work in the diagnostics department. One day toward the middle of summer, Zoe had agreed to meet Brian for lunch.

She popped her head into the department and smiled when she saw Foreman and Chase. "Hey, boys. You two see Brian around?"

"He just went to check on a patient with your mum," Chase replied with a smile.

Zoe walked into the department, dropped her purse on a chair and ran to Foreman, jumping into his arms. "Hey there, Doctor."

Foreman grinned. "Hey there, sexy. Lose weight over the year?"

Zoe laughed. "You kidding? I was the lead in two musicals; I lost, like, twenty pounds."

"You look good. Doesn't she look good, Chase?"

Chase snorted. "If I say yes, House will stab me with his cane."

Zoe smirked. "If you say no, I'll stab you with a knife."

"You look amazing," Chase said with a laugh.

"I win!" She let go of Foreman and grabbed her purse up again. "Is Dad at lunch with James?"

"As usual."

"Tough case?" Zoe asked with a frown, glancing at the whiteboard. "It's probably something really simple and you guys are just digging too deep. You do that all the time."

"That's what your dad said," Chase scowled.

"I'm a lot like him," Zoe bantered, leaning on the whiteboard. "Want me to prove it?"

"God, no. I've already seen it. Please don't forget that I'm the one who took the brunt of your insults at your sweet sixteen."

Zoe giggled. "Aww. But I really _do_ covet your hair."

Chase rolled his eyes and Brian and Allison walked into the room. Zoe smiled. "Hey, Mom. Brian."

"Hey, honey." Allison walked by her daughter, dropped a kiss on her forehead, and went for coffee. Zoe walked over to Brian and hugged him around his waist.

Brian kissed the top of Zoe's head. "Sorry I'm late. Your mom made me get a patient history."

Zoe smirked. "Ahh… I love being a performer. No medicine for me!"

Brian laughed. "You hungry?"

"Starving. Almost literally. My tummy's rebelling against the lack of food."

Foreman snorted. "If you weren't anorexic, there wouldn't be a problem," he teased ruthlessly.

"If you weren't black, I'd stop calling you my slave," Zoe shot back with a sweet smile. She turned to Brian and drew a kiss over his lips. "Lunch. Now."

"Always with the food." He waved goodbye to Foreman, Chase, and Allison and took Zoe's hand, leading the way out of the department. "I take it I'm buying?"

"Of course, mon ami. And I'm dying for some Red Lobster."

Brian laughed. "You're so lucky I have a well-paying job."

"You're so lucky my dad pays you," she retorted with a grin. "So technically, I'm spending his money."

"Lies."

"You know you love me." She pulled her car keys out of her purse. "We're taking my car. I need to drive it more."

"I still can't believe your parents bought you a _car_," he complained. "For a coming home present? You're spoiled rotten."

"It's a beater car," Zoe said with a laugh, unlocking the doors and letting Brian in the passenger's side. "My radio doesn't work, the upholstery is shot, and my dad's making me rebuild the trans. They bought me a car that they're making me work on. I'm not as spoiled as you make me out to be."

"All I'm hearing is, 'I'm a Daddy's girl.' You need to learn to make your comments precise and to-the-point, Zo."

"Bite me," she grumbled, pulling out of the lot.

Brian smirked and leaned over, nipping at her arm. She jumped and slammed on the brake before laughing. "You're a bastard."

"Not quite. But I could have been. Mom wanted to go in-vitro."

"Yeah, my dad told me about that. I think it's great that she hooked up with your dad instead."

"I think it's great that he hasn't cheated on her once. Maybe being married just made him want something more." Brian shrugged and leaned his head against the headrest, closing his eyes. "I don't really ask them a lot about what it was like before I was born. All I know is that my dad's been married three times and he's never doing it again, which is fine by me. If he ever hurt my mom, I'd kill him."

Zoe smiled and reached over with her right hand, taking Brian's left and holding it on the way to the restaurant. "I've never thanked you for being so loyal to me," she said softly.

"You don't have to," he replied, embarrassed with her show of affections. It was extremely rare that Zoe would be so sweet, and when she was, he never quite knew how to respond. "You know I could never cheat on you. Not only do I want you too much, but I fear the wrath of your father."

Zoe smirked. "He is rather threatening with that mean old cane, isn't he?"

"A bit."

They shared a calm, companionable silence for a while. When Zoe stopped at a red light, she tapped her hand on her steering wheel. She'd been meaning to ask Brian something pretty serious for a while and couldn't figure out how to bring it up. She'd finally come to the conclusion that the best thing to do was be absolutely blunt. So hell… She would be.

"I've been thinking a lot lately," she said suddenly.

Brian's eyes were still closed, and he was absently caressing her right palm with his thumb. "About what?"

"Sex."

He coughed and his eyes flew open. "You… What?"

"Sex," she said again. "I want to have sex with you."

"I, uh… Like… Now?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Yes, Brian, now. While I'm driving the car. I want you to bend over and give me road head," she snarked.

"I don't… You… Are you sure?"

"Nope. Not at all. I just wanted to make you supremely uncomfortable." She took her hand away from his and placed it on the steering wheel, tapping her fingers impatiently. "I'm serious, Brian. I want to have sex with you."

"I… You… What?" He was still completely stunned that she was being so damned blunt about this, though he probably shouldn't be. It _was_ Zoe.

She snorted. "Sex, Brian. I want to sleep with you. Fuck you? That sort of thing."

He blinked. "Uh."

"You're raking in the IQ points, pal."

"Well, give me a minute!" he exclaimed. "You can't just … drop something like that on me! Things like that are just supposed to happen; you don't come right out and tell someone you want to have sex with them!"

"Well why the hell not?" Zoe snapped. "I mean, why dance around the issue? I think you're attractive, you think I'm attractive, we're in a relationship, and I want to do you. Why should I have to skirt that? It's honest; it's a normal human thing to want to do."

"I completely agree with that. But it's kind of a shock. I mean … think about it. I've wanted you for years; I finally get my hands on you and suddenly, you want to sleep with me! Not that I'm not completely and totally fine with that, but it's a shocker."

"I don't see why it should be… You've always known that I've found you attractive. My wanting you sexually was bound to happen sooner or later."

"You're getting clinical on me now," Brian said with a small laugh. "You wanting me sexually? Come on, Zo."

She laughed lightly. "Okay. Fine. Look… My parents are going to be out of town next week; they've got a conference in Reno. You should come over for a night or two."

"You're inviting me over for sex."

"Yes."

"And you have no problem with the fact that I know this and it could start out very awkwardly?" he asked suspiciously.

Zoe rolled her eyes and pulled into the parking lot of Red Lobster. "It's not going to be awkward, Brian. We're too good together to be awkward."

----------------------

As it turned out, Zoe was wrong. Very, very wrong. Since both of them knew what they were planning on doing, everything just seemed weird. Zoe had made dinner and they ate it in complete silence. Brian felt horrible about the whole thing, but he had attempted to warn her, so he didn't feel too badly.

Brian sat on the couch next to Zoe and they both stared at the television, which was off. "This is … weird."

Zoe sighed. "I know. I didn't mean for it to be…" She walked over to the piano and sat down, improvising some light jazz. "I really didn't."

"You knew it was going to be," Brian said gently, a smile on his face as he watched her play. "I did warn you."

"Yeah, well… When do I ever listen to warnings? Life is pointless if you don't take a few risks." She hit a sour note and made a face, replaying the measure she'd butchered until she did it correctly. "I wonder if my parents know you're here…"

"More than likely." He shrugged and moved to stand behind her, his hands in the pockets of his khakis. "Your dad knows all."

Zoe grinned. "He does." Smoothly, she slipped from the jazz into a soft, classical piece. "He knew we were going to hook up eventually."

"He's a brilliant man. Amazing to work with, even though it's nearly impossible sometimes." He smiled and sat down next to Zoe on the piano bench, wrapping an arm around her waist and watching her fingers stroke the keys. "You really are a lot like him."

"I think I'm more like my mom," she said softly, concentrating on her music. "I mean, when I'm angry, I'm definitely my dad. But when I'm in a good mood, I'm my mom. No questions asked." She played for a few silent moments. "I'd rather be like my mom. She's so sweet… So wonderful. I have no idea how she ever fell for my dad."

"There's something there between them. You can see it, but you can't define it."

Zoe smiled. "We're a lot like them," she said quietly. "We're so good together; we balance each other. Just like your parents. They're so perfect for each other… Our parents are amazing."

"They're something special, that's for sure." He dropped a kiss on her neck, listening to the music that she played. "You play beautifully."

"Lots of practice." She finished the piece she was playing and turned to face Brian, straddling the piano bench in the process. "It's sad that you never learned how to play. Musicians are hot." She leaned forward and brushed a kiss over his lips.

"Musicians _are_ hot; that's why I'm dating one. But doctors are hot, too." He pulled her into his lap and nuzzled her neck.

"Doctors aren't hot," Zoe replied, sighing quietly and tilting her head to the side. "Doctors are just really smart people who couldn't figure out what to do with their lives."

Brian chuckled. "Your parents are world-renowned and you have such a low opinion of doctors."

"If I had a high opinion of them, I'd worship my parents," she argued, turning to face him and giving him a smile. "And then where would we be? I'd be in Hell for worshipping a false idol and you'd be here, all alone."

"You're an atheist."

"And you're a Jew," Zoe stated with a smirk. "Ha! You burn in the ovens, bitch. I get to wear a swastika."

Brian laughed and buried his face in Zoe's shoulder. "That's so offensive. That's unbelievably offensive."

"And you love it." Zoe smiled and nudged Brian off of her shoulder. She cradled his face in her hands and brushed a slow, sweet kiss over his lips. "I've got to be crushing you," she muttered, attempting to move off of his lap.

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "Please. I had Melissa Karkum in my lap for that audition you made me go to, and she's three hundred pounds, _easy_." He rested his chin on her shoulder and placed small kisses on her neck. "Besides, you weren't heavy one year ago and you've lost weight. If you didn't crush me then, you're not going to crush me now." He paused and nipped lightly at her neck.

"Hmm… I'm nervous about sleeping with you," she admitted freely, tilting her head to the side once more to give him better access to her neck.

He grinned. "That's really weird. You know me better than you know any of the guys you've slept with."

"The grand total being two," she pointed out, nudging him in the side. "And you're right… I know you better. And you know me better." She smirked. "You'll know if I'm faking it."

He let out a laugh of disbelief. "You're not going to be faking it."

"Awfully sure of yourself."

"I have to be," he replied with a grin. "You're a challenge, Zo. I like challenges."

"I noticed." She stood and took his hand, pulling him up off of the piano bench. "My dad's going to kill us," she said with a small, secretive smile.

"Only if he finds out… Which he will, eventually. He's bound to notice with how damned observant he is," Brian groused.

Zoe laughed lightly, walking backwards and leading the way to her bedroom. "I won't visit you at work. Then he'll never see us together."

"Ooh, sneaky. I like it."

"Of course, we'll have to manage to avoid him all summer." He leaned in and brushed teasing kisses over her lips. "That might be difficult."

Zoe sighed, finally reaching her room and leaning against the closed door, Brian leaning over her. "Then we're going to have to be very careful around him." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a sexy little smirk. "Or are you scared?"

"Not scared enough to want to back out of this," Brian replied with a grin. "I can handle the old man with the cane; I can outrun him."

"That's a comfort to know." She opened the door to her bedroom and led him inside, shutting the door quietly behind them. "You can switch on the bedside light," she told him softly.

"Do you want it on?"

"…Not really."

"Then we'll leave it off. I can see you." Brian's main concern was Zoe's comfort level. She'd said it herself; she was nervous about this. And that was okay with him. He wasn't all that nervous, but he understood that she was and he respected that. He crossed to her and pulled her gently into his arms, brushing a kiss over her lips. His hands went slowly to her shirt, unbuttoning the top button. "Mind if I take off your shirt?"

Zoe laughed. "If you keep asking, it's really going to ruin the mood."

Brian snorted. "You want me to tear it? I can tear it and make it really dramatic."

She rolled her eyes and unbuttoned her shirt the rest of the way herself. "There. I did all of the work. Now all you have to do is push it off of my shoulders."

He grinned and did so, dropping a soft kiss on her now-exposed shoulder. "I love your skin," he murmured to her. "It's so white… It's like porcelain. It's beautiful."

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and bit back a smile. "Thanks." She slipped her hand beneath his shirt and pulled it over his head. "…_God_, but you're built."

"I played football," he said, amused. "I still run occasionally."

"You eat fast food _all the time_." She ran a hand down his chest. "You shouldn't look this good. It's illegal somewhere."

"Want me to stop?" he asked teasingly.

"Mmm… No. Definitely not." She reached behind and unclasped her bra, taking a deep breath before she let it fall to the ground.

Brian looked at her with a smile in his eyes and pulled her over to the edge of the bed, guiding her to sit while he kneeled in front of her. "I always loved your curves," he admitted, dropping a kiss on her collarbone. "Who knew they'd look so great underneath the clothes?"

Zoe laughed nervously. "I don't need the compliments, you know… I know I'm not perfect-looking or anything."

"Who says you have to be perfect?" he murmured against her skin, pushing her back gently so that she was lying down and he was hovering over her. "I like you just the way you are."

"You're so sweet; it's inhuman."

He laved his tongue over her nipple and grinned when she took in a quick breath. "Someone has to be disgustingly sweet to you when you're being sour. It makes you mild, Zoe."

"I don't feel all that mild right now," she murmured, gasping when he drew her nipple into his mouth and suckled lightly. "I feel pretty hot."

He released her nipple and placed a kiss on it. "That's the point of the exercise," he said teasingly, moving to the other nipple. "I can make you feel like a princess, Zoe," he whispered as he moved down her body, dropping random kisses along her torso. "I could make you feel like a queen."

She squirmed beneath him, her breathing uneven, the corner of her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "Brian…"

He smiled and dropped a kiss on her hip, slipping her skirt and panties off. With her naked in front of him, he took the time to study what he could see of her body. Did she have a flat stomach? No. Her stomach had a swell to it below the navel; a child-bearing body, as they called it in his biology class. And there was definitely nothing wrong with that. He thought women with actual bodies were more attractive, anyway. "I could spend hours staring at you."

"Well don't," Zoe replied, sitting up on her elbows. "That would be supremely creepy."

He chuckled. "Shush," he commanded gently, standing and removing his pants. "You talk too much."

"You started it," she pointed out, watching his form as he bent over to get his pants off of his ankles. "With that whole staring thing." When Brian stood straight once more, Zoe sat up and reached out to him, bringing him down on top of her. "You're so warm…"

She heard him laugh quietly as he placed small, sweet kisses along her neck and shoulders and slipped his hand between her thighs to tease her. "Honey, I'm hot."

She laughed breathlessly, air catching in her throat when he touched her. He moved his fingers slowly, exploring, teasing, pleasing… And she moved her hips with him, trying to catch on to whatever rhythm he had. She never could quite catch on, as he'd change his exploration as soon as she seemed to get it. She growled in frustration, biting down on his shoulder. "Enough teasing," she panted.

"You've always been impatient," he murmured, licking at her neck. He removed his fingers and lapped her taste off of them, grinning when he saw her wide, bright eyes watching.

"That's … really hot."

"Seems to be the general consensus," he commented, nipping at her bottom lip. "Do you have condoms?"

"Yeah… On my dresser." The dresser was at the foot of the bed, and Brian reached over to grab one. Zoe took it from him and slowly rolled it onto him, smirking when he moaned softly. "I want you inside of me," she whispered into his ear, wrapping her hand around him and guiding him in.

---------------------------------------

When Greg and Allison returned home from their Reno convention, everything seemed to be fine. Neither of them seemed to notice that Brian and Zoe were a bit closer and showed just a bit more affection when in public. It was about a week after they'd gotten back that Greg sat on his couch and turned off the television program that Zoe had been watching.

Zoe frowned. "Why'd you turn it off? I promise it was educational."

Greg smirked. "I'm sure it was; and you can get right back to it in just a teensy weensy moment. You slept with Brian."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Right."

"I know you did."

"Why? Because we'll kiss in front of you now?" she scoffed. "I know it's crazy, but we _are_ dating."

"No, though that would be a sneaking suspicion for any father. What caught me was the used condom in your trash when I emptied it last week."

Zoe paled and her jaw dropped open. "Son of a bitch… Since when do you empty my trash, Dad?"

He twirled his cane in his fingers. "Since your mom and I went away for a while. I may be a mere man, Zoe, but I _do_ know how the young adult mind works."

She sighed and slouched in her chair. "Are you pissed?"

"No; I'm proud that you used a condom. I'm disappointed that you didn't tell your mother or me that you were planning on this."

Zoe looked stunned. "What did you expect me to say? 'Hey, Mom, Dad. I'm going to fuck Brian while you're out. Sound good?' I can see that going over well."

He snorted. "You could have at least talked to us about it. We don't mind knowing that you've had sex with Brian. We just want you to be safe about it."

"I am being safe about it; we used a condom and I'm on birth control. It's fine." She smiled at her father. "I expected you to freak."

"Your mom pointed out that me freaking out might be a bad idea." He tapped his cane on the floor. "I just want you to know that if he does something to hurt you, I _will_ kill him. Your mom's next, Foreman's last in line."

Zoe laughed. "Thanks, Daddy."


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** They ... still don't belong to me. I'm beginning to think that they never will, and that makes me sad.

Zoe's junior year of college brought the first bit of tragedy she'd ever really known galloping into her life. The university had decided to pull off the musical _Wicked_. Zoe had been cast as Elphaba, to her amazement, and called home to relay the news to her parents. There was no answer at the house, and she thought nothing of it; they were probably just on a more difficult case. So she called her mom's cell and smiled brightly when there was an answer.

"Cameron," her mother answered, sounding tired.

"Mom! Hey!"

"Oh, hi, honey," Allison's voice came through, still tired; but Zoe could hear a smile. "How are you?"

"Great! I got into the show! I've got the lead! Isn't that great! I went all of sophomore year without a lead and now I've got Elphaba!"

"That's wonderful sweetie…"

"Mom…? What's wrong? Tough case?" Zoe's brow furrowed as she heard her mother sniffle. Was she crying?

"Um… No… We just…" Allison sighed and swallowed to keep tears down. "Honey, there's been an accident."

"Dad-?"

"No, no. Dad's fine. It's … Eric, honey. Foreman."

Zoe stopped dead in her tracks and her face paled. "Doctor?" she whispered.

"Yeah. He…" Zoe heard her mother choke and finally cry. "He was checking out a patient's home, just like we've always done. Chase was with him… The patient's boyfriend came home and accused Foreman of being the man that his girlfriend was cheating with."

"Oh, my God… Is he… Is he okay?"

"He's in ICU right now. We don't know if he'll make it."

"I'm coming home," Zoe said immediately, hauling ass to get back to her dormitory and start packing. "Rehearsals don't start for another two weeks. I'm coming home."

"Honey, no…"

"_Yes_. I can get the time out of classes… My professors don't mind; I'm too far ahead for them to give a damn." She reached her dorm and grabbed a suitcase, tossing it on the bed and beginning to pack haphazardly. "I have enough in my account to grab a roundtrip ticket off of Hotwire or something. I'm coming home."

"You shouldn't miss your classes." By this point, her mother was openly sobbing. "You should concentrate on your studies…"

"I'm coming home, Mom," Zoe said, feeling a lump rising in her throat. "I'm coming home and that's final."

"Okay… Okay. Just … call me when you know your flight time. I'll tell your father." Zoe heard her mother crying and felt completely hopeless … completely useless. "I'll talk to you in a few." And the phone when dead.

Zoe packed frantically, tossing tops and jeans into her suitcase. She considered throwing in her pantsuit … just in case of a funeral … but she refused to let herself think that way. As she grabbed her toothbrush and hairbrush, she called Brian. He must have been in class, as she got his voicemail. "Brian, honey, it's me. Look, there's been a problem at home. Foreman's in the hospital; an accident. I'm going home for a week or two. Call me when you get this. I love you."

She hopped online and got tickets for a red-eye flight leaving that night. Thirty minutes later, she'd sent all of her professors e-mails explaining that she had a family emergency and would be out of class for the next week or two and that she'd do all of her work and turn it in through e-mail. By midnight, she was on a plane home.

Three days later, Foreman was still on a ventilator; he was still fighting for his life. Zoe hadn't left his bedside but to change clothes and eat since she'd gotten home. Greg and Allison would check in every hour or so; Chase had visited as soon as he'd been released from the hospital. While Foreman had gotten the brunt of the beating, Chase had gotten a bit, too; three broken ribs, a broken nose, and a punctured lung.

Zoe's eyes were drooping as she held Foreman's hand, resting her cheek on his shoulder and crying. He had to come out of this; he had to. This was _Doctor_; he came out of everything. He'd survived some funky illness before Zoe had been born. He'd survived other exposures, too, since Zoe had been alive. He'd survive this, too. …Right?

Zoe had been falling asleep when she heard someone come in. She opened her eyes to see Chase. "Hey," she said softly.

"Hey," he replied, going to stand next to Zoe and rubbing her back comfortingly. "You okay?"

"No," she answered honestly, a watery smile settling on her face. She took a deep breath and tried to hold back tears. "He's not going to come out of this, is he?" she asked brokenly.

"Zoe, there's no way to tell…"

"Oh, don't give me that crap, Chase," Zoe snapped, letting go of Foreman's hand and standing to pace the hospital room. "He's been like this for almost five days. Is he in a coma or is he just sleeping?" She took a deep breath and yelled, "BECAUSE HE SURE AS HELL CAN'T HEAR ME!"

"Zoe! Stop!"

"NO! No! I want him to hear me!" she screamed. "I want him to wake up!" She fell against the wall behind her and sobbed into her hands. "I want my Doctor back."

Chase frowned and walked to Zoe, crouching down so that he could wrap his arms around her. "He's going to pull through this," he said gently, letting Zoe cry into his shoulder. "Foreman's a strong guy. He'll be okay."

"He's going to die," Zoe sobbed. "He's going to die and I'm never going to get to talk to him again. He won't see me graduate. He won't see me in _Wicked_ this spring; he's not going to see if I get married or … or…" She shook her head and wrapped her arms around Chase, sobbing into his chest.

Chase blinked a few times and swallowed to keep tears of his own away. Zoe wasn't going to be the only one heartbroken if Foreman didn't make it; the entire team would mourn. "Come on," he said gently. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I don't know. I can't remember. I don't care."

"You need some food. Let's get you something."

"I'm not hungry."

He helped her to her feet and kept an arm around her shoulder. "You need to eat, anyway."

Greg and Allison sat in Greg's office, both of them staring into space. The team had refused to take cases until Foreman's fate was known, and Cuddy definitely wasn't fighting them on that decision. All diagnostics cases were referred to Princeton Main.

Greg sat on the couch, arm loosely around Allison's shoulders, and tapped his cane rhythmically on the floor. "Do they know the extent of the damage?" he asked quietly.

"I checked the chart while Chase took Zoe to dinner. Collapsed lung, bruised kidneys, fractured spine. There was some damage to the back of his head; they suspect there may be brain damage." Allison sounded almost like a robot as she rattled off the stats. She was still in complete disbelief that this had happened.

"I should have sent you, not Foreman," Greg muttered, glaring at the glass door.

"You couldn't, Greg. I was getting my routine physical done. Don't blame yourself for this."

"I'm not blaming myself," he snapped. "I'm blaming Foreman for not knowing how to kick ass." He stood and began pacing. "I knew that there was a jealous boyfriend involved and I sent a big, black man, anyway. It was fucking stupid."

"Greg…" She stood and crossed to him, running her hands down his arms. "Stop this. Stop doing this to yourself. Foreman's going to pull out of this. He's not going to be the same, but he _is_ going to live."

"You're so damned optimistic."

"Well, _someone_ has to be!" Allison exclaimed angrily. "Zoe is down in Foreman's room right now, crying her eyes out about how her Doctor is going to die! You're up here blaming yourself for killing him! He's not dead yet, you idiot! He's still alive and he's going to _stay_ that way."

"How, Allison?" Greg spat angrily. "Through a breathing tube? That's a damned beautiful way to live."

"Oh, fuck off," Allison snarled. "It's not even a week out yet. He's going to be on that machine for a while and you know it. Even after his lung is healed, he'll need a respirator; _you know this_."

"_If_ his lung is healed."

"They're putting him into surgery tomorrow!" she yelled. "They're repairing his lung and they're checking his heart to be sure that there wasn't any bruising to it. He's going to come out of that surgery and he's going to be awake and Zoe's going to stop crying about how her second father is as good as dead! And maybe, just _maybe_, you'll stop blaming yourself for killing him!"

Greg glared at his wife. "Go play peppy doctor somewhere else," he glowered. "I don't need it."

"Yes, you fucking _do_. I am sick and tired of this, Greg. You won't even sleep. We get home and you drink yourself into a stupor. I'm not living this way, do you understand me? You're either going to man up and deal with this, or I'm moving in with Lisa and James until it's over."

He stopped and stared at her in awe. "You would leave me?"

"I would," she said, tears threatening to fall. "I would until you can admit that this wasn't your fault. Until you'd stop drinking every night. Until you'd come and lie down in bed with me again."

"Stacy did the-"

"Stacy did _not_ do the same thing, so don't you even say it!" Allison cried out. "The difference between me and Stacy is that I'd do this for _your_ good, not mine."

Greg took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "This is ridiculous, Allison."

"It's not," she defended softly. "It's not ridiculous for me to continue to want respect, even if you are being too hard on yourself. I'm your _wife_, Greg. You don't push me on the back burner just because you've made a mistake. You talk to me about it; you tell me what's wrong and I try to help you through it. _That's my job_."

"You just threatened to leave me and then told me you want me to talk to you? Make up your damned mind, woman."

"I'm trying to tell you that I love and I care and I'm _worried_, Greg! You need to stop doing this to yourself and you're not going to do that until I take drastic measures. I don't want to leave! I want to stay at home with you. I want to curl up with you at night and know that when I wake up in the morning, you're going to be there. But Goddammit, I can't _do_ that when you're drunk every night and sleeping on the couch! Don't push me away, Greg. That isn't fair to me."

He watched her quietly and leaned against the wall behind him. "Look at you," he said quietly. "Twenty years ago, you wouldn't have done this. You would have just sucked it up quietly and moved on."

"Yes, well, love grows with time. So sober the fuck up or I get the fuck out."

She was serious, he realized. She really would leave him until he sobered up. But … only until he sobered up. Then she'd come back; she wouldn't run off and marry another man. "Two drinks," he said slowly, watching her intensely. "I want two drinks per night."

"Enough for a buzz? Fine. Once he wakes up, you're done. I'm dumping it all down the sink."

"Even your wine?"

"I don't need my wine. It goes, too."

Their pagers went off and the looked at them simultaneously. Upon seeing the message, they exchanged a look before darting off to Foreman's room. When they arrived, the saw Zoe laughing tearfully, bent over Foreman's bed with her arms wrapped around him. His eyes were open, and he managed to raise his hand in greeting to Greg and Allison.

Zoe turned to see her parents. "He's awake!" she exclaimed merrily, tears rolling down her cheeks. "He's awake!"

The damage to Foreman's body turned out to be more extensive than they'd originally imagined. Due to the fracture on his spine, he had a hard time standing for long periods of time. He could no longer stand up completely straight and leaned heavily to his left in order to walk down a hallway. His physical therapist gave him a cane.

Greg challenged him to a duel.

Zoe had gone back to school once she knew that Foreman would be all right. She'd missed a week and a half of classes. Foreman promised to make it to her show in the spring. He even rode with her when Greg drove her to the airport for her flight back to Michigan.

She picked up her ticket and gave Foreman a gentle hug. "Call me every day. I want to know how you're doing," she demanded.

Foreman laughed lightly. "It's going to be a slow process with plenty of surgeries, Zo. I'm not going to get better any time soon."

"Just keep me updated on your progress, okay?" she asked nervously. She wanted to know he was alright. She had to be sure.

"Of course." He dropped a kiss on her forehead. "After you call your parents when you get back, give me a call, okay?"

She gave him a smile. "You bet." Again, she wrapped her arms around him. "Glad you're okay, Doctor."


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I own no one you recognize. Isn't that sad?

Zoe's college graduation brought auditions for graduate schools around the country. She'd chosen to go to a graduate arts program to get her MFA instead of simply going to audition for shows in Chicago and New York; it was smarter, her professors told her, to get an MFA first. It opened up new opportunities.

So in May, Zoe took the first part of her summer break to go to auditions in Chicago and New York for ten different arts schools. She was thankful that all of the auditions were in the same hotels; it really cut down her traveling time. At her final audition in New York, she noticed a pain in her thigh. She hadn't stretched very well before her dance, and attributed the slight, nagging pain to a strained muscle.

After auditions, she returned home to her parents. It was late at night and she limped into the house. The drive home hadn't helped that nagging pain any, and it was starting to worsen. She dropped her overnight bag in the nearest chair and went into the kitchen to get an ice pack. Once she'd retrieved her object, she went back into the living room and propped her foot on the coffee table, setting the ice pack on her thigh and dropping her head onto the back of the couch.

She heard her parents' bedroom door open and smiled. Someone heard her come in. She opened her eyes to see both of her parents smiling at her.

"How did auditions go?" Allison asked with a sleepy smile, sitting on Zoe's left side. Greg sat on her right.

"Not bad. I think I pulled a muscle at my final New York one, though," she said with a cringe, moving the ice pack slightly. "My thigh's killing me."

"How bad is the pain?" Greg asked with a yawn.

"Eh… Moderate. It got worse as I was driving home, since I drive with my right leg." She removed the ice back and rubbed her thigh. "I just need to keep off of it for a bit. It'll be fine in the morning."

"Just keep an eye on it. Make sure it's nothing more serious."

"I've pulled my thigh before; it felt exactly like this. I'm sure it's fine." She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek before leaning to her left and doing the same for her mother. "You guys have fun while I was in the Big Apple?" she asked slyly.

Allison blushed. "We're your parents… You shouldn't ask those sorts of questions."

Zoe smirked. "You guys had lots of sex, didn't you?"

Greg snorted. "If you have to know… Yes, we did. Lots of it. It was great, and you missed it."

"Damn; and I was so looking forward to telling you guys to keep it down." She yawned. "Aren't you a bit old to be keeping it up for copious amounts of sex?"

Allison laughed. "You'd think that."

"Little blue pills make you super happy?" Zoe leered. "I bet they're awesome little powerhouses, aren't they?"

"I could take one and steal your mother away and make you listen," Greg grumbled. "Snotty little brat."

Zoe grinned. "Come on, Dad. You know I'm kidding. I think it's great that you two have a healthy sex life with you being in your latter sixties. 'Course, I don't want details." She cringed and rubber her thigh again. "Fuck."

Greg frowned and moved Zoe's hand, pressing his index finger into her thigh where she'd been rubbing it. She cried out and smacked him.

"What the hell!" she cried, tears in her eyes. "That _hurt_!"

"You sure that's just a pulled muscle?" he grumbled.

"Fucking shit, Dad… I pull my muscles all the time. I ice them, heat them, and stay off of them and they get better. _Of course_ it's going to hurt when you _press into it with your finger_!" She rubbed the thigh vigorously until the pain eased once more. "Are you psychotic?"

"I'm a concerned parent… Who has, ironically enough, suffered from severe thigh pain before," Greg snapped.

"It's not severe," Zoe said through gritted teeth. "It's moderate. If it becomes severe, I'll let you know and you can send me to the hospital for a battery of tests."

Allison frowned and rubbed Zoe's back. "No need to get snappish." She sent a glare toward Greg. "Either of you. It could very well be just a pulled muscle, Greg."

Zoe turned to her father and stuck her tongue out.

"_However_," Allison continued with a stern glare at Zoe, "if the pain worsens whatsoever, you have to tell us."

"Deal," Zoe muttered. She let out a slow breath and closed her eyes. "God, but those auditions kicked my ass. Five auditions in three hours? Killer."

"How do you think you did?" Greg asked softly. He had his doubts about her thigh pain; how could he not?

"I think I made it into at least three schools. It'd be great if I got into AMDA; they'll feed right onto Broadway. And they have master classes with actors who are on Broadway and in film right now."

"You would move to New York, then?" Allison asked, nibbling on her bottom lip. "For how long?"

"It's a two year intensive program, so I'd be there for two years. After that, it would depend on what shows I got into and whether or not they were touring," Zoe answered with a smile. "I'm excited."

"Let's hope for the best, then. When would you matriculate?" Greg asked.

"Next academic year. Not the upcoming one; I applied too late for that." She yawned and dropped her head to rest on her father's shoulder. "So I get a whole year off. I figure I'll work with the youth theatre at Princeton."

Allison smiled brightly. She got one more year with her baby girl. "That sounds like a wonderful plan, sweetheart." She stroked her daughter's hair. "You could also baby-sit for Foreman."

Zoe's eyes widened. "Baby-sit for him?" she asked, confused. "He's not even married. He has kids?"

Greg smirked. "There was a death a few cases back… Single father with a six year old son. Foreman adopted the boy."

"Ohh… That's so sweet!" Zoe squealed. "What's his name? OhmyGod, did the boy take Foreman's last name or keep his original? That would be _so cool_ if he took Foreman's."

Allison laughed. "Foreman's waiting until he's older to let him pick. The boy's name is Alexander. The agency almost didn't let Foreman have him; he still had two surgeries to go. But they realized that Alexander would have a supportive environment at the hospital, even if Foreman was in post-op."

"Oh, that's awesome!" Zoe exclaimed with a bright smile. "I want to meet him! Doctor didn't even _tell me_!"

"He wanted to keep it a surprise," Greg said with a shrug. "I'm sure he had a reason."

"You ruined it," Zoe said, sticking her tongue out. "I'm calling him first thing tomorrow and bitching him out for it, too."

--------------------------------

Zoe did as she'd claimed she would. She called Foreman and reamed him a new asshole for neglecting to tell her that he'd adopted a child. Then she drove to his place to go out to lunch with him and the little boy. They chose McDonald's, since it made Alexander so happy to get a Happy Meal and play in the playscape. Zoe smiled as she watched.

"You adopted a white boy," Zoe said with a smirk. "How fitting."

Foreman laughed. "Shut up, Zoe. He's a perfect little boy; so well-behaved it's ridiculous." He popped a French fry into his mouth and watched as Alexander screamed joyously and played with a little girl in the playscape. "He bounced back really quickly from his dad's funeral," he said quietly. "I didn't expect it."

"Kids bounce back so easily before they turn ten," Zoe commented. "I…" She frowned and cut herself off, picking at the salad she'd ordered.

"You … have a kid under ten so you know?" Foreman teased.

"I might in about nine months," Zoe muttered angrily.

Foreman's jaw dropped. "_What_?"

Zoe sighed and tossed her fork into her salad. "Don't tell my parents, okay? Brian and I forgot a condom a couple of weeks ago and … yeah. I mean, I'm on the pill, but I wasn't taking it at regular intervals. I've felt a little nauseous in the mornings. I'm taking a pregnancy test tomorrow."

"Jesus, Zo… Your parents are going to kill you."

"Not if they don't know, they're not," Zoe snapped. "And you aren't telling them."

"And if the test is positive?" Foreman asked somberly. "What will you do then?"

"I'll tell Brian and we'll decide from there what we want to do." She tapped her fingers on the table. "But my parents are staying out of the decision, and so are his."

"You're thinking about an abortion," Foreman stated in awe, sitting back in his chair and rubbing his hand over his eyes.

"I… Yeah, I am. Brian and I both have more schooling ahead of us; he's got med and I've got grad. And, I mean, it's going to be something we both decide on. He's going to know and we're going to come to a consensus."

"Your mother…"

"She doesn't have to know," Zoe stated firmly. "If the test is negative, everything's fine. If it's positive and we decide to abort, she never has to hear of it. If it's positive and we decide to keep it, then we'll break the news."

"Zoe, an abortion could seriously affect you…" Foreman started gently.

"I'm not going to worry about it until I get the test results." She took a hefty bite of her salad and gave him a glare.

Alexander ran up and tugged on Foreman's pant leg. "Daddy Eric, can I get more fries? The girl over there got more fries and I want more, too."

Foreman smiled. "You gonna eat 'em all up?"

"Yup!" Alexander exclaimed.

"You promise?"

"Yup!"

He reached into his pocket and took out some money. "Let's go get more fries, then."

Zoe smiled as she watched Foreman walk off with Alexander, the two of them hand-in-hand. Thank God that Foreman was a father… He was meant to be one.

--------------------

The next day, Zoe and Brian met at his house while his parents were at work. She brought the pregnancy test and took it, leaving it on the bathroom sink while she waited for the results. Brian, being ever the scientist, made sure that she bought three to be sure that there were no false positives or negatives.

By the time the third test was over, they both breathed a sigh of relief. No pregnancy. They sat on the couch, Zoe cuddling into Brian's side.

"That … was scary," Brian murmured quietly into Zoe's hair.

"And just think, I was the one who would have to push the damned thing out," Zoe muttered, eyes closed. "What would we have done?" she asked softly. "What would we do?"

"I… Christ, Zo, I don't know. I wouldn't want to make you have it if you didn't want it. But I wouldn't want you to have the abortion. Does that make sense?"

"…Yes. And … I don't know. I saw Foreman with Alexander and I just thought… God, Brian." She laughed. "For just a minute, I thought it would be great to see you as a father. I just … didn't want to be the one to be the mother," she admitted quietly.

Brian frowned. "What … does that mean?" he asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I love you, Brian. I do. But the thought of me being a mother this young makes me ill. Hell, the thought of me being a mother _at all_ makes me ill." She took his hand in hers and played absently with his fingertips. "I'm not cut out to be one. I'm so driven… We're both so driven."

"Hey," he said softly, pulling her up to a sitting position. "Come on, Zo. Don't even think on it. We're young yet. And there's no knowing what we would have done if you had been pregnant." He dropped a kiss on her forehead, then her nose, and finally, her lips. "Don't dwell on it, okay? It was a scare and we'll be more careful from now on."

She smiled at him and brushed a kiss over his lips. "Okay," she whispered.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** They ... still aren't mine.

Zoe spent the next year working with the children's creative dramatics program at Princeton. She'd been accepted to five of the ten graduate programs she'd auditioned for and couldn't be happier. She had to choose which program to go into yet, but she was happy that she'd been accepted. As of right now, she was considering Yale School of Drama. It was the best around; even better than AMDA. And while her musical theatre experiences would be limited, she'd get more dramatic experience, which she needed.

It was breaking the news to Brian that she dreaded. He'd decided to go to Johns Hopkins for medicine, and she was proud of him for that. Sure, he was a while away… But they were able to visit every other weekend and that was enough for them. After all, it was just three more years of that. They could handle it.

But when she went off to Connecticut… When she told him that she was _moving_ to Connecticut for four years, how would he take it? She checked the clock on the wall and worried her bottom lip between her teeth; he'd be back in an hour, so she'd find out soon.

She tapped her foot on the kitchen floor and paced around, opening the fridge and shutting it again. God, but she was nervous.

Allison came into the kitchen and tilted her head to the side upon seeing her daughter in such a state of disarray. "Something bothering you?" she asked sweetly, heading for the fridge and grabbing a bottled water.

"Kind of? No. Yes," she sighed, tapping her fingers on the counter top.

"Well, which is it?" Allison teased.

"Brian's coming home in an hour. I'm going to tell him that I'm accepting Yale's offer."

"Ahh. Worried about his response?"

Zoe sighed again and rubbed her eyes. "Like you wouldn't believe. I'm afraid it's going to upset him."

"Well … he has had an entire year of knowing that he can come home every other weekend and see you. He'll probably be angry," Allison said, opening her water and taking a sip.

"Thanks, Mom. That helps me _so much_."

"Honey, there's no doubt that he's going to be upset, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't tell him or that you should compromise your dreams for his," Allison said gently. "You just have to tell him and you two are going to have to talk through it."

"Yeah… I know. I just… I'm not looking forward to it."

"No one looks forward to delivering bad news, Zoe. But we do it and we move on."

Zoe sneered. "That's golden coming from the woman who has trouble telling a patient that they're dying to this day. How long have you been a doctor?"

"That's not very fair," she replied calmly. "You've never had to do that."

"I may as well have to!" Zoe exclaimed nervously. "God… I don't even want to do it!"

"Calm down, sweetie," Allison said with a calm smile. "You may get into an argument over it, but it's going to be for the best in the long run. You're a House. You can do this little thing. He's just a measly Wilson," she teased.

Zoe laughed. "Yeah. Measly, my ass. That boy is better than dad is at manipulating me into things that I don't want to do, but have to do."

"You're well-suited. Things are going to be just fine. If there is a fight, it'll blow over before you know it."

------------------------------

Oh, but how wrong Allison was. As soon as Zoe told Brian, he went very still and very silent. They'd been walking through the park when she told him, quietly, that she'd be attending Yale come the fall.

He stopped walking and simply stared at her for what felt like hours. "That's in Connecticut," he finally said, his voice almost inaudible.

"I know," she whispered. "It's far… But Yale's got such a good program…"

"What about American University in DC? It's got a good program," he said slowly.

"Yes, but… Brian, I don't want to go there. Yale's got so much to offer and they're the best of the best for drama." She looked at their joined hands and bit her bottom lip. "I know it's far away," she said softly. "But it's what's best for me."

"Did you consider that it wouldn't be good for us?" Brian asked coolly. "That this could be a serious problem in our relationship?"

"I… Yes. I did. I thought…" God, she was such an idiot. So naïve. How could she be so naïve?

"You thought what?" he asked with a laugh of disbelief. "You thought that we could try to do this long-distance? Talk on the phone and instant message each other every other night and catch up with each other's lives? That's not a relationship, Zoe."

"I know," she whispered brokenly. "You went off to Hopkins, Brian. You're getting what you want. Why can't I have what I want, too?"

Brian scoffed. "You've had what you wanted your entire life, Zo. Can you ever compromise?"

"I…" She had no idea what to say. He was right, wasn't he? She'd had things handed to her on all but a silver platter.

"You what? You're sorry?" He laughed. "No, you're not. You don't know how to be." He shook his head and let go of her hand. "I'm going home." He turned to leave, but Zoe cried out to him.

"Brian, wait! I don't-"

"No, Zoe. I'm going to my parents' place; I'll be there all weekend. Come see me if you can make up your mind as to what you want."

"…What?" she asked in a whisper. "What are you saying?"

Brian shoved his hands into his pockets and looked genuinely remorseful. "It's me or Yale, Zo. You just can't have both. …I'm sorry."

Zoe stood there, stunned, as Brian walked off toward his car. She couldn't move… Couldn't breathe. She'd been with Brian for five years. They'd been friends since birth. And he was just … gone. Just like that. She sobbed as she ran home.

---------------------------------

Once Allison found out what happened, she held Zoe as the poor girl sobbed and muttered incoherently about how stupid she felt. Once the crying stopped, Allison took her daughter out for pizza, explaining that unhealthy food was the best way to deal with this sort of thing. Then for ice cream, the same rule applying.

After pizza and ice cream, they went out to rent movies and purchase more junk food. They watched Sci-Fi movies, romance movies, horror flicks (during which they both screamed and giggled until they cried), action films, and even one erotica (which they made fun of mercilessly).

Their little movie marathon was over around three in the morning, and Greg was still at work, picking apart a case. Allison turned to Zoe and gave her a smile. "Tired?" she asked.

"Not really," Zoe answered honestly. "But I feel a lot better." She smiled at her mom. "Thanks, Mom."

"It's what I'm here for," Allison answered with a smile. She kissed Zoe's forehead. "Feel like shopping?"

Zoe laughed. "At three in the morning? The only thing open is Wal-Mart."

"We'll play tag. Come on."

"In Wal-Mart?" Zoe asked, her laughter bubbling up.

"Sure! It's great fun. Then we'll go bug your dad at work."

Zoe grinned and threw her arms around her mother. "I love you, Mom. So much."

Allison smiled softly and rubbed Zoe's back. "I love you, too, baby."

And they went to Wal-Mart and played tag in the toy section until they were kicked out. They drove around Princeton-Plainsboro and talked about things they hadn't talked about in years. They talked about boys and self-esteem and doctors and actors and anything that they could think of. Finally, they pulled into the hospital and went up to diagnostics, where Greg was staring at the whiteboard.

He turned and smiled when he saw his wife and daughter walk in. "Hey. Surprise visit?"

"I thought she could use it," Allison said, rubbing Zoe's back before the girl bounded into her father's arms. She mouthed the word 'Brian' before going into Greg's office and sorting through the files on his desk.

Zoe hugged her dad tightly, face buried in his chest as she inhaled his familiar, comforting scent.

"Don't cling too hard, there, monkey. I'm no tree." He dropped a kiss on top of her head and heard her sniffle. "Uh oh… Monkey's crying." Slipping a finger under her chin, he brought her face up so that he could see it and wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumb. "What happened, kid?"

"I… Oh, Daddy." She buried her face in his chest again and held onto his jacket. "Brian broke up with me. He told me it was him or Yale."

Greg stiffened, but rubbed his little girl's back in comforting circles. "He told you that, did he?"

"He did, and… He's right. I always get everything and I always want it my way…"

"Zoe, you're not thinking about turning away from Yale for a man," Greg said sternly. "Brian's one in about five million. There are more."

Zoe shook her head and smiled sadly at her father. "But there's only one Brian."

"Yeah? Then march over to his place and slap some sense into him. _My_ daughter doesn't whimper and cry about some asshole who told her to choose between him and her dreams. Brian's getting his dream and you should get yours, too. There's no reason why one should and one shouldn't."

"But I can't have it both ways…"

"Then he isn't worth your tears." Greg stroked Zoe's hair and frowned thoughtfully, glancing out the glass wall at the empty hallway. "He's not worth your time, Zoe. You're better than any man who would make you choose."

"I don't feel that way…" she whispered.

"But you are. And there's more going on than just you going to Yale. If I were you, I'd press the truth out of the little bastard."

"Dad!"

"What?" Greg groused angrily. "He hurt you, Zo. And you have the right to know exactly why he did it. There's more to this than you moving to Connecticut; don't doubt for a moment that there is. You need to find out what it is."

She sniffled and paused for a moment before nodding hesitantly. "Okay… Okay. I will, Dad."

"That's my girl." He dropped a kiss on her forehead and held her close while she cried quietly.

----------------------------

When Zoe awoke the next afternoon, she had a pounding headache and her eyes felt swollen. But she got up, washed her face, took a few aspirin, and got dressed. Her parents were at work, she knew, and she headed down to the kitchen. She smiled when she found a plate of freshly-baked cookies with a note from her mom telling her that chocolate could solve all of the world's problems.

She grabbed a cookie, grabbed her car keys, and headed to Brian's house. After taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell.

He answered in his pajama pants. No shirt. Damn him. "Hey," he told her, sounding awkward.

"Hey," she replied softly. "Okay if I come in?"

"Yeah, of course." He moved aside to let her in and closed the door, following her into the den. "Look, Zoe, about yesterday…"

"No," she said, holding a hand up to stop him. "I want to say something before you apologize or make it worse, whichever you were going to do." She took a deep breath and put her hands in her back pockets. "I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't end our relationship just because of some long distance challenges. What's the underlying cause, Brian? And don't skirt around it; don't dance. Tell me straight out."

Brian cringed and scratched the back of his head. "I was out of line yesterday, and I'm sorry."

"I know you were, and I accept your apology," she said brusquely. "But I still need to know why."

He sighed and plopped down onto the couch. "I…" He frowned and cleared his throat, looking at the coffee table. "There's this … girl. At Hopkins. She … ah…"

Zoe's eyes darkened violently, but she waited patiently for him to continue.

"She wanted to go out with me. I told her I was with someone, that I was happy with the girl I was with. And she laid off of it. And I am happy with you," he said quickly. "I am. I just… I jumped into this relationship with you because I've always wanted you. Still do. And this girl got me thinking … am I missing out on something?"

Zoe was deathly quiet as she stared intensely at Brian. "Do you want to take a break?" she asked calmly. "See if there are other people who interest you more than I do?"

Brian's head snapped up. "What? No! I … don't know." His head dropped again in shame. "I don't know."

"Well, let me make up your mind," she said through gritted teeth. She crossed the den angrily and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back violently and smashing her lips to his, kissing him greedily. She pressed, and she took, and she gave nothing. When she pulled back, they were both breathless. "Would your Hopkins girl do that?" she snapped.

"No," Brian answered in a stunned whisper, gasping when Zoe scraped her nails down his chest.

"Would she scratch you?" she snarled. "Would she give you everything you wanted and more?"

"God!" He arched to her scratches, trying to catch his breath.

"Would she!"

"No!"

She straddled him, pushing him back against the couch and grinding hard against him. "Would she tease you and make you beg for her, Brian? Would she make sure she was the only one you ever wanted?"

"No!" he all but sobbed. "God, Zoe. No. No, she wouldn't."

"Is she _me_, Brian?"

"She could never be you," he gasped, trying to grab at her hips to hold her steady, make her stop, _something_. This shouldn't be so damned arousing.

Zoe grabbed his wrists and pinned them to the couch. "That's right," she whispered into his ear, nipping hard at the lobe. "She could never be me." She got off of him and walked toward the door. "Remember that the next time you think it's okay to break up with me for a false reason."

A very stunned, very aroused Brian sat on the couch, slack-jawed, as he heard the front door slam.

After he'd managed to pull himself together, he ran to his room and dressed hastily. He couldn't break up with Zoe. Couldn't. Christ in Heaven, there was no way. What the hell had he been thinking? He rushed to Zoe's house, pounding on her door and begging her to answer. He called her cell phone, her home phone, sent her e-mails with his Blackberry. And did it all from her front porch.

After twenty minutes, she answered the door. She leaned against the doorjamb with her arms crossed over her chest. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry," he blurted. "I'm so sorry. I can't even tell you how sorry I am. I'm an idiot; a fool."

"Yeah, you are," she said coolly.

"Forgive me," he begged. "Please, Zoe. It was stupid. I was so stupid. You're perfect for me. I shouldn't have had doubts about that… Christ, you proved it back at my place."

"I'm going to Yale," she stated matter-of-factly.

"You should; you deserve to be there." He ran a hand over his face and blew out a slow breath. "We can make it work."

"What about your Hopkins girl?" Zoe asked innocently.

"Forget her," Brian growled. "I want you."

Zoe gave Brian a catty, bitchy smile. "As the great philosopher Jaggar once said: You can't always get what you want." And she slammed the door in his face.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** NO! They aren't mine. Those buttheads.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is ALSO rated M.

Zoe did as she'd said she would and attended Yale in the fall. Single. She hadn't accepted Brian's apology, no matter how much she wanted to. Yes, she loved him. And it killed her to not see him and speak with him all the time. But she needed this; _they_ needed this. They needed time apart if he'd been doubting being with her.

After three grueling months of master classes, Zoe flew home for Christmas. She'd stay home for three weeks before going back to more grueling classes. It had been weird, being single with so many men around. But she hadn't fooled around with any of them. They weren't Brian. It wasn't the same.

She was welcomed home with open arms, as she'd expected that she would be. She kissed her parents, hugged them, went out to dinner and caught up with them. Dad was healthier than ever, and Mom was doing just fine. They still both looked so young, and Zoe teased them that it was because they really were young at heart.

When they returned home, she crashed on the couch. Her parents were called away to the hospital, so she turned on the television and watched a ballroom dancing competition. She smiled, remembering the steps and she and Brian had so long ago. It had been ten years now since they'd won that first competition. And she missed it.

She grabbed the phone and called him. He answered and her throat constricted just a bit. "Hey," she said softly.

"Zoe?" he asked, sounding stunned. "Zoe… How are you? Are you home?"

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "I'm home. I'm … watching a ballroom competition, actually." She bit her bottom lip and grinned foolishly. "Come over. Come dance with me."

She heard him laugh. "Zoe House is still as impulsive as ever," he said affectionately. "I'll be over in a few."

"Thanks." She hung up the phone and smiled to herself, changing into a skirt and heels. It had been three long months with nothing more than random e-mails and instant messages from Brian. She wanted to see him again; to speak to him and feel him again.

Not too long after she changed, there was a knock on her front door. She answered it with a bright smile and wrapped her arms around Brian. "I've missed you," she whispered.

"I've missed you, too," he whispered in return, holding onto her tightly. He didn't want to let go. He got inside and shrugged out of his winter coat, hanging it on the coat rack. "What did you want to dance?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

"Anything. Everything." She stretched her arms into the air and did a pique turn. "Let's start with a waltz."

He chuckled as she went over to the stereo, putting on a waltz and coming to his arms. She still fit … God, thank Heavens, she still fit. They waltzed; clumsily, at first, due to lack of practice. But they fell back into routine in no time. They talked about school, about life, about how they'd both stayed single. He told her that no one compared to her. She smiled and said the same to him.

Then, they danced the samba.

They laughed and talked about their parents. About the hospital and about Brian's clinicals. Zoe thought it was particularly amusing that Brian had almost failed three of his clinical tests because he wasn't properly focused, thanks to drinking heavily with friends the night before. She told him about her classes, about working with actors like Jodi Foster and David Thewlis.

Then, they danced the bolero.

They discussed politics; who they liked and didn't like. New bills that had been passed in Congress ending homosexual discrimination and tightening gun control so that there could only be one gun per household if it wasn't for hunting. They talked about a time that they'd seen so many shootings on the news and how it just wasn't like that anymore.

Then … they danced the tango.

There wasn't much talking after that. The music stopped and they stood in their final pose, Zoe wrapped around Brian. Her legs tangled with his, her head on his shoulder, her arms around him, holding tightly. They stayed that way, breathless, panting, and then Brian moved.

He placed a finger under her chin and brought her lips to his, kissing her possessively. They had a lot of time to make up for, and they seemed to want to do that quickly. He pushed her backwards, toward her bedroom, tearing her shirt off of her as he did so. Somewhere along the way, Zoe ripped his shirt down the front, buttons flying all over the hallway.

When they reached her bedroom, the door was shut. He slammed her against the wall, earning a low, pleased moan, and fumbled with the handle to open it as he devoured her. She pushed him so that she could get away from the wall and shoved him into her bedroom, shutting the door with her foot. He reached for her, getting her bra off in record time and reaching beneath her skirt to draw her panties off of her. Once more, he pushed her against the wall behind her.

She all but purred as she groped for the snap and zipper of his pants, letting out a low, sexy laugh when she managed to get them undone. With sure hands, she pushed his pants and boxers down and stroked him.

He growled and lifted her, pinning her to the wall with his hips and sliding inside. They both moaned and her head dropped forward to rest on his shoulder as he moved inside of her, pushing into her ruthlessly. Her back scraped against the rough wall behind her and she loved it. Absolutely loved it.

She captured his lips for a hot, sensual kiss, sighing into his mouth. More. She wanted more. Harder. Faster. _Now_. And she told him so. She all but screamed it. He obliged, sending her over the edge with his name pouring off of her lips like a prayer, a curse, a song. He came quickly after her, biting down on her shoulder and moaning as he slowly sank to the ground, taking her with him.

A few minutes later, she rolled off of him, breathing finally back to normal, and swiped some hair out of her face. "Damn," she whispered, a catlike smile on her face.

"I … have definitely missed that."

Zoe giggled. "Mmhmm." She stretched and nibbled at her bottom lip mischievously. "We should move to the bed," she murmured, tongue tracing the outer shell of his ear.

He smirked and rolled over, trapping her beneath him and catching her lips for a soft, demanding kiss. "But the floor is so convenient."

She sighed. "I love me a man of convenience."

------------------------

Hours later, there was pounding at Zoe's bedroom door. She frowned and wrapped a sheet around herself, opening the door a crack. There stood none other than her father, holding her torn shirt and Brian's annihilated one. "I'm not looking for the buttons," he growled, shoving the clothing into Zoe's arms.

Zoe smirked, arranging her sheet so that it wouldn't fall off of her. "Sorry, Dad," she apologized quietly, stepping into the hallway and shutting the door behind her so as not to wake Brian. "We meant to clean up…"

"Christ, Zoe, put some clothes on."

"Hey, you decided to pound on my door; you can deal with the consequences." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Where's Mom?"

"At the hospital. She's covering for Foreman. Alexander's parent-teacher conferences are tonight." Greg frowned and looked at the wall behind Zoe's head. It was great that his daughter had no qualms about her body, but that didn't mean she had to flaunt it, _or_ the fact that she'd had sex, in front of him. "At least tell me it's Brian in there. I saw his car out front."

"Yeah, it's Brian," she said with a grin. "I… We were just going to dance…"

Greg frowned and glared at his daughter. "You did the tango, didn't you?"

Zoe smirked. "Which led to the horizontal mambo, yes."

Greg groaned and shook his head. "Good lord. Go back in there. I'm going out for dinner. I'll be back in a half hour; try to be decent, okay?"

She giggled. "You got it, Dad." She went back into her room and sat on the edge of the bed, brushing a kiss over Brian's lips to wake him. He woke up and smiled sleepily at her. "Morning, sunshine."

"It's definitely evening," he said before yawning.

She dropped his shirt on his face. "My dad came home," she said, looking sheepish.

Brian smirked. "You've traumatized him for the rest of his life." He removed the shirt from his face and tossed it onto the floor. "…Awesome."

She laughed and stood, dropping the sheet and looking for clothes. "He's getting dinner. He gave us thirty minutes to pull ourselves together."

Brian grinned lecherously and got out of bed, wrapping his arms around Zoe from behind and pulling her against him. "That leaves time," he murmured, dropping kisses along the column of her neck.

"Brian, he'll be back soon," she said breathlessly, a smirk on her face as she saw them in the full-length mirror on her closet door.

"We have time." He nipped at her shoulder and watched her reaction in the mirror. His hand traveled down her torso, a finger teasing at her entrance. "We have time."

--------------------------

And they made the time. Granted, by the time they heard the front door slamming, they were frantically trying to find their clothes. But they made it down to the kitchen, albeit flushed, in time.

Greg smirked when he saw the two of them. "Have a nice quickie?" he asked knowingly.

Zoe flushed a violent shade of red and Brian laughed loudly.

When Allison returned home from the hospital late that evening, she saw Zoe curled into Brian's side on the couch. Greg was nodding off in the easy chair. Some program about giraffes droned on, and Allison smiled as she plopped onto the arm of Greg's chair, startling him out of his dozing state. He smiled at her and accepted a kiss.

"I see a Wilson in my home," she said with a smile. "How are you, Brian?"

"Great, Dr. House," Brian answered with a smile.

"I see Zoe's taken you back."

Zoe smirked. "He begged on his knees. What else could I do?"

Greg snorted. "Liar." He wrapped his arms around Allison's waist and pulled her into his lap, keeping the brunt of her weight on his left leg. "You two kids go have some fun," he ordered. "Out of the house… Go shock Brian's parents."

Brian grinned and looked at Zoe. "I bet your dad wants us out of the house so he can do your mom," he teased.

Zoe cringed. "Oh, gross." She stood and grabbed Brian's hand, leading him to the door and tossing him his coat before grabbing her own. "I'm staying over Brian's tonight."

"Okay, sweetie," Allison said with a smile, slapping Greg when he nipped at her neck. "Have fun."

"…Ugh. Sick." She left the house in a huff, leaving a snickering couple behind.

Allison turned and carefully straddled her husband. "You're going to give the poor girl nightmares."

Greg rolled his eyes and caressed Allison's hips. "Please. Do you know what I had to see when I got home?" He slipped his hands beneath her shirt and worked on the clasp of her bra. "I saw Zoe's shirt, torn, on the floor. In the hallway, there were buttons everywhere and Brian's shirt was there, ripped beyond any possible repair."

She grinned. "They have a healthy sex drive. Nothing wrong with that."

He pouted. "There is when we can't do that anymore. Not when we have to worry about Zoe coming home."

She laughed and nuzzled his neck. "We don't have to worry about Zoe coming home tonight. Besides…" She laved her tongue over the sensitive spot beneath his ear and blew lightly on it. "We know better tricks than they do. Who needs to tear shirts?"

He smirked and gave her a slow, sweet kiss. "Indeed."

"Those kids don't know half of the good ways to have sex," she murmured in his ear. "Like in the kitchen." She worked her hands under his shirt and got it off of him, letting her hands trail down his chest. "Or in the shower."

"Mmm… The coffee table was a good one," he continued her list, taking her shirt off with her bra, hands going to her breasts to massage them.

"Oh… The coffee table _was_ nice." She licked her lips and moved down his body, dropping kisses and nips, tongue darting out here and there. "I liked the trampoline."

"That was hot." He lifted his hips when she tugged on his pants to get them off of him. "The … ah…" She'd taken him into her mouth and was suckling, watching him with a little smirk on her face that never failed to turn him on. "The desk in your office down the hall."

She hummed, pulling a groan from him before pulling away. "The desk in _your_ office," she said with a grin. "At work."

He reached for her pants and undid them, watching them fall to the floor. She stepped out of them and pulled him out of the chair, walking backwards and holding onto his hands as she led the way to their bedroom.

He drew a kiss over her lips. "The pool table in the game room."

She pulled him to her, working her way to the bedroom and reveling when they were finally there. "The pool," she whimpered as he pushed her down and climbed over her, nipping sharply at her neck.

"That hotel with the mirrors on the ceiling," he returned.

She flipped their positions and held his hands down to the bed, grinding slowly, skillfully, against him. "Italy. The balcony."

"Ahh…" He wanted to reach for her, but she prevented it, so he moved his hips in time with hers. "The diner in Spain." He ripped his wrists out of her grasp and took hold of her hips, positioning himself and letting her sink onto him.

They let out matching moans and moved slowly together, savoring it. Before long, they were back to challenging each other with memories. Always challenging each other. Always matching each other.

"That little … ah … pond. In Rome," she said breathlessly, riding him slowly.

"Mmm, yeah." He brushed hair out of her eyes and brought her down for a kiss. "France," he murmured with a small laugh. "Oh, France."

She smirked. "France was nice." She gasped when he bucked his hips to hers and pulled her down at the same time. "Ohh… That time…" She giggled breathlessly. "In James and Lisa's bathroom."

He laughed along with her, also breathless, and could feel how close they both were to coming. "They almost caught us." But he had a way to one-up her. That one way that he'd always win. "Your apartment," he murmured. "When I pushed you against the door… Mmm…"

"Ohh.. God, yes. Our first time."

It sent them both over the edge. They calmed down, lying beside each other, and she cuddled into his chest. He kept his arms around her, smiling tiredly. "Love you," he muttered.

She pulled the covers over them and smiled, nuzzling his neck. "Love you, too."


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** It's the end of the story and I STILL don't own these guys. No suing. Suing is bad, mmkay?

**Author's Note:** Well, here's the last chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed this story as much as I have. It's been fun!

When Zoe graduated from grad school, she was still with Brian. And they'd managed to make a long distance relationship work, so long as they saw each other once a month. A few weeks after her graduation brought her parents' twenty fifth wedding anniversary.

Brian had agreed to help her decorate the house for the surprise party she was throwing for them. She knew that her dad hated parties, but she felt the need to celebrate her parents and their twenty five years of wedded bliss. She and Brian hung streamers and a 'Happy Anniversary' sign. Brian made a nice dinner and Zoe baked a cake. It turned out to be a really nice day, and she couldn't wait for her parents to get home and see what she'd done.

Aunt Lisa had promised to find an excuse to keep them both late as everyone sneaked into the house before they got home. James was there, as were Foreman and his son Alexander. Zoe picked up the little boy as soon as she saw him and threw him on her back for a piggy-back ride.

Chase soon arrived with his fiancé. He'd gotten engaged in the past year and Zoe still wasn't sure how she felt about the woman that he'd asked to marry him. She was younger than him by five years, which Zoe didn't have a problem with. But something about the woman just didn't sit right with her, and Zoe was always leery around her because of it. But she welcomed the two of them with a smile.

She'd kept the anniversary party limited to the people from the hospital. Grandma and Grandpa Cameron had already given Mom and Dad a gift: a two-week getaway in the Caribbean. Grandma House called Dad and wished him a happy anniversary, then called Mom separately. That was just how she worked. Grandpa House was gone; Grandma House seemed upset by it, but Zoe didn't really care. Dad didn't, either.

Aunt Lisa called out that they'd arrived and everyone hid behind furniture, in the kitchen, or in the hallway. When the door opened, everyone heard Greg's final snippet of the conversation.

"…And if I fuck you in the hallway, we're just going to run into problems."

"Is that why you insist on a bed?"

The lights went on and everyone stood in their spot, grinning, smirking, or fighting back giggles. Greg's face went slack and he looked at all of the people in his house. His gaze finally settled on Zoe and he glared.

Zoe smiled sweetly. "Happy twenty fifth?" she asked innocently.

---------------------

The party actually turned out better than Zoe had expected. By ten that night, they all sat in the living room, laughing and having a pretty good time. Greg hadn't had that much alcohol; Allison had limited him to two hard drinks or five beers.

Alexander sat on Zoe's lap, head resting comfortably on her shoulder as he played a game on Gameboy. Foreman joked about how great of a mom she'd make, and she stuck her tongue out at him and reminded him that she had a job lined up in a children's theatre and wasn't going to be having of her own any time soon.

Foreman smirked and his gaze slid over to Brian. "What do you think about that?" he asked calmly.

Brian cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh … well, you know, it's not really my decision…"

Greg smirked and exchanged a glance with Allison, James, and Lisa. "It doesn't have to be," he commented. "Foreman just wants to know if you want kids. He likes to steal them; especially if they're white babies."

Alexander giggled from Zoe's lap. "Daddy Eric's a thief."

Zoe smirked. "He sure is." She rubbed Alexander's head affectionately and glared at Foreman. "Leave Brian alone. I already know he wants kids."

James grinned. "You've discussed it?"

She rolled her eyes. "We've been in a relationship for seven years, three of which were long distance. We've discussed these things."

Brian looked thoroughly uncomfortable, shifting on the couch and trying to look cool, but failing miserably. Zoe smiled at him and he gave her a small smile back.

Chase's fiancé checked her watch and frowned. "We should probably be going," she told Zoe politely. "I've got an early flight in the morning."

"Where are you flying to?" James asked civilly. Apparently, Zoe wasn't the only one with qualms about Chase's new flame.

"I've got a teacher's convention in LA. It's going to last all weekend." She pouted and turned to Chase. "I'm just sad Robert can't come with me."

"I bet," Greg muttered under his breath, earning a small smack from Allison.

"Thank you for coming," Allison said with a sweet smile.

The woman smiled back as she and Chase stood. Chase gave Allison a hug and ruffled Zoe's hair before bidding goodbye to everyone. Once the two of them were gone, Lisa frowned.

"Something about that woman is way off," she muttered thoughtfully.

James frowned. "She's cheating on him."

"How do you know that?" Lisa asked, rolling her eyes.

Greg smirked. "Jim's a master of cheating on people; I'll bet he knows how to tell if someone's cheating."

"Cute, House," James said with a frown. "It's horrible that you're right… I really do think she's cheating on him. She shows every sign of it, and they're all subtle." He sighed. "Someone should tell Chase that this woman isn't faithful."

"Not it!" Zoe chimed in, followed by Brian, Greg, James, Allison, and Foreman. Lisa grumbled and glared at James. "Let's just make a card," Zoe suggested, bouncing the leg that held Alexander. "Dear Chase, your fiancé has a bit on the side. Love always, your concerned friends."

James snorted. "What a great way to find out."

Zoe shrugged and turned her attention to Alexander. "You gonna come to one of the children's shows, dude?" she asked with a smile.

"If Daddy Eric says it's okay," Alexander replied, eyes glued to the game console in his hands. "I wanna see the one with the mute prince."

"_Once Upon a Mattress_," Zoe told Foreman at the confused look she received. "It's a musical version of _The Princess and the Pea_ with a bit of a twist to it; it's a very good show for children and adults alike."

Brian grinned. "Listen to her. She's already pimping it. It's just because she's the lead; if she were stage managing, she'd tell you never to see it."

With the chuckles 'round the room, Zoe stuck her tongue out at Brian. "Butthead. I'd use stronger language, but you know… Child present."

Foreman checked the time and sighed. "Yeah, well, the kid's gotta get home." Upon Alexander's pout, Foreman smiled. "We've got stuff to do tomorrow, Alexander."

"Oh, fine," Alexander sighed, shutting off the Gameboy and giving Zoe a hug. "Will I see you before you move back for your show?" he asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm going to be here throughout the whole thing," she replied with a smile. "Rehearsals are so close that I get to live at home."

"Awesome!" Alexander smiled brightly as he took Foreman's hand and the two of them bid goodnight to the remaining guests. That left James, Lisa, Greg, Allison, Brian, and Zoe.

James and Greg grinned at each other, drawing curious looks from the women in the room. "Share with the class," Lisa said with a quirked eyebrow.

Greg shrugged and James repeated the motion, his gaze floating over to Brian, who was looking thoroughly uncomfortable. Zoe noticed and frowned. "What the hell is going on?" she asked flatly.

"It's…" Brian sighed. "Nothing. I talked to our dads about something earlier and they've been ragging on me about it all night." He shrugged nonchalantly. "They're just being themselves."

Zoe smirked. "What did you have to talk to both of them about, hmm?" she asked innocently, moving to sit next to him on the couch so that his arm was wrapped around her shoulders.

"Nothing important," he dodged, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "We can talk about it later."

Greg smirked evilly. "I think you should talk about it now," he said with a nod of affirmation, earning himself a confused look from Allison. "After all, it's something that should be discussed in front of family."

Brian flushed and Zoe frowned. "Brian?"

He cleared his throat. "It's not… Zo, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"It's something if it's got you so uncomfortable." Now she was getting worried. Was something wrong with him? Did he get a job across the country? Oh, God… What if he got a job in a whole different country?

"It isn't anything to worry about," he assured her. "I promise."

"Brian…"

"Zoe," he snapped irritably. "It's fine."

She snapped right back at him. "It's not fine if you're being such a bitch about it."

"Jesus, Zo, drop it already!" Brian exclaimed, pushing off of the couch and pacing the living room.

Allison and Lisa exchanged a wide-eyed look, both wondering just what the hell was wrong with Brian. Greg and James exchanged smirks; they already knew. After all, they'd been through the same thing at one point or another.

"I'm not going to drop it, Brian! What the hell is your problem?" She stood, prepared for a fight.

"There isn't any problem besides you pushing this," he growled. "Just let. It. Drop."

"_No_, damn it. Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong!"

"Liar!"

"Fucking stop it, Zoe!"

"No, goddamn it! I'm concerned!"

Greg, Allison, James, and Lisa watched the fight, wide-eyed. Their children were just little firecrackers, weren't they?

"There's nothing to be concerned about, Zoe. I'm serious."

"Brian, why are you acting this way? Something's got you anxious enough to scream at me in front of our parents and I want to know what it is!" She was getting genuinely worried at this point. What could Brian possibly have to say to their fathers that he didn't want to talk to her about in front of them? What the hell was going on?

Brian reached into his pocket and threw a box at Zoe, relieved when she caught it. "I was going to ask you to marry me, damn it!"

Zoe's mouth opened to retort but closed immediately. "You…" She opened the box and her eyes widened. "Oh… Oh, my God…" In the box was a diamond ring. And not just any diamond; a pink diamond.

Allison and Lisa both smiled widely, covering their mouths to stop squeals of motherly delight. Greg and James both grinned at Zoe's reaction, but Greg felt a bit uneasy. Was she going to say yes? Zoe was so single-minded, so independent…

"You want to marry me?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Yes," Brian said, watching her anxiously.

"I… Oh, God, Brian…" She took the ring out and studied it, stunned at how beautiful it was. Platinum. Pink diamond. She was so spoiled. On the band was an inscription: For my princess.

"You don't have to say yes or anything," he mumbled. "It was just-"

"Yes," she cut him off. "Don't say anything else. I want to marry you."

He grinned. "You do?" he asked softly.

"Not really," she replied with a smirk, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I just really like the ring."

Greg laughed. "That's my girl," he said, pointing to Zoe. "That's _my_ girl."

FIN


End file.
